


His Obsession

by LandyShadow



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Obsession, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:15:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 28,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21788122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LandyShadow/pseuds/LandyShadow
Summary: A woman comes to Arthur’s defense when he’s harassed by a man on the subway. Good deeds don’t go unpunished.
Relationships: Arthur Fleck/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 134
Kudos: 162





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone. I’ve had this idea for a story for awhile. I held off on writing it because I know a lot of people love Arthur Fleck and his Joker. I was also worried I would write him out of character, and people wouldn’t like a darker take on him. I thought I’d give it a shot anyway in case people want something a little different. This is a oneshot. I might continue it with different ideas featuring the same original female character depending on how this goes and if people like it. Just a heads up, this isn’t a love story or meant to be romantic. There is stalking, obsessive thoughts and behavior, and kidnapping. If that’s not your thing, you may want to skip this one.  
> EDIT: I added a a bit more details to what was in the original story. I’m working on what I want to do for a second chapter :D

It was another day that ended the same as any other day. The subway was crowded as always. There were so many people from all walks of life. Men, women the rich and the poor. It was dirty and rundown, much like the city. Ashe couldn’t afford to live in a nice city like Metropolis, so she moved to Gotham. She was taking in the atmosphere when she looked to her left. She noticed a man. He was wearing a tan hoodie. He looked gaunt, very thin. He had brown hair that was combed back and appeared to be in his mid to late thirties, possibly early forties. It was hard to know for sure since he was so emaciated. He was looking out his window. He was so sad. A man dressed in a nice black suit was sitting next to him. He was obviously more affluent than some of the others Ashe could see on the subway. She noticed the man was covering his mouth, strange sounds coming from his throat. He was shaking. Was he coughing? No. He was desperately trying not to laugh. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. He exploded into a fit of laughter. It wasn’t normal laughter, she could tell he was trying so hard to regain control of himself. He looked like he was in pain. It made her uncomfortable and she looked away. It annoyed the man next to him. “Is something funny, pal?” The man kept laughing. “Stop laughing at me, asshole!” The man was able to get himself under control a bit. He took out a card to show the other man. “I’m not...I’m sorry...I..I...have...a...condition.” He managed to choke out. “Oh, yeah? A condition? I’ll give you a condition!” He knocked the card from the man’s hand and shoved him. That was when Ashe stepped in. “Hey! Knock it off!” The man looked at her, insulted that she was coming to the defense of the man who was laughing at him. “This asshole is laughing at me! He’s making fun of me!” “He said he was sorry. Leave him alone.” “Yeah whatever. You deal with him, then!” He stormed off. Ashe went over to help the thinner man. “Did he hurt you?” Arthur looked up at her shocked. He didn’t know what to say. Someone actually helped him? Actually noticed him? “N-no. I’m okay. You see me?” Ashe giggled. “Of course I see you. Why wouldn’t I see you? Looks like you dropped this. Here you go.” She handed the card up to Arthur and an overwhelming sensation shot through him when his hand brushed up against hers. It was so soft. He never felt that before from anyone. “I’m Ashe. What’s your name?” “Oh...my name is... A...Arthur.” “Nice to meet you, Arthur. I’m sure I’ll see you around.” “Yeah...” There was a long pause before they got off the subway. “Well, bye!” She joyfully skipped off. There was something so charming about it, innocent. Arthur was infatuated with her. How was she so jovial in a place like Gotham? He wanted to follow her, to know more. But he decided not to...for the moment.

That night, Arthur couldn’t stop thinking about Ashe. He thought about how she was nothing like the women in his magazines. She was very short, barely five feet tall. She had brown hair. It was styled into a ponytail, tied by a pink ribbon. She was wearing a shin-length pink dress, with an unbuttoned, short sleeved red bolero jacket and a pair of brown dress shoes. Her eyes were blue like the sky. Arthur couldn’t get the image of her out of his head. She looked innocent, but beautiful. He couldn’t stop thinking about the way she looked at him. Her smile and eyes were so warm. She cared about him. She was a good person in this shit hole of a city. Not even his own mother looked at him that way. Penny was the only woman in Arthur’s life. She only talked about herself and Thomas Wayne. She didn’t show as much concern for Arthur. He was so lonely. He wanted, no, needed Ashe’s warmth and compassion. He needed her in his life. He needed to find her, make her his. ‘No. It’s not right. Don’t think that way. You barely know each other.’ He fought with himself internally. He barely slept the rest of the week as thoughts about Ashe took over.

The next week, Arthur was walking outside one night and just by coincidence, he saw Ashe. ‘What’s she doing out so late at night alone? It’s not safe. Is she not aware of how dangerous Gotham is, especially at night?’ She was walking down the streets and saw a homeless man. Arthur saw them talking and noticed she had half a sandwich and gave it to the man. Arthur couldn’t believe it. Ashe was a genuinely nice person. It was at that moment Arthur knew what he had to do. He had to have her. He had to keep her safe, protect her from Gotham. He wouldn’t let her become another victim of its cruelty. He would do anything to make the woman he loves happy. In his mind, she loves him too. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Arthur followed Ashe and kept his distance. He found out where she worked. She worked at a printing shop. It wasn’t too far from the coffee shop. It made it easy enough for him to follow her. She went there twice a day. She went every morning at 6:00am and again at 2:00pm when she got off work. He didn’t mind waiting for her shifts to end each day. He knew it would pay off. She ordered the same drink every time; a capo chino with heavy liquid creamer, extra sugar, and three sticks of cinnamon. He picked up on all her little mannerisms he adored so much. He loved the way she bit on her bottom lip when she was thinking. He loved her laugh when she talked with friends. He loved the jovial skip she had in her step whenever she was happy, eyes filled with a love for life. It was precious. He knew every route she took to every place she went. She even lived in the same building. He took note of the door to her apartment. The door didn’t have the best lock, probably because the building is so old. Fortunately for him it meant that it would be easy to get inside. One day, while Ashe was at work, Arthur decided to break into her apartment. He was in no hurry, he knew he had plenty of time. The layout wasn’t much different from his apartment. The furniture was slightly nicer. There was just enough room for a bookshelf in the living room too. All things considered, her apartment was tidy. He eventually made it to her small bedroom. There wasn’t much furniture in it. There was a small nightstand, a dresser, and to his delight a twin bed. As he expected it confirmed she didn’t have a man in her life. Arthur couldn’t help himself. He got on her bed and laid in it. It was very comfortable for such a small bed. He leaned over to the pillow and inhaled Ashe’s scent. She smelled amazing, like cocoa and cookies. He laid there for awhile longer. As he left, he was careful not to leave any trace that he was there. He decided he would come back for her when she was asleep.

Arthur decided to lay on his bed for a bit. He imagined them going on dates together. Ashe would laugh at his jokes, tell him what a sweet man he is for loving her. He imagined her close to him in bed, touching and caressing each other. He would whisper sweet things to her in their moments of passion. He wondered if she had ever been with a man before. She seemed naive. She was so trusting and fearless. She was willing to roam the streets of Gotham alone at night. That homeless man she gave her sandwich to could have been anyone. He could have mugged her...or worse. Arthur knew she could easily be taken advantage of. She was so sweet, so soft, so...pure. Even if she had been with a man before, he knew he needed to be gentle with her. He would take his time with her, savor the moment. He imagined all the little gasps and noises she would make, how she would call out to him. It was too much. He relieved himself. He never had such an intense release. He felt guilty. He felt shame for thinking of her that way, but he knew it wasn’t dirty since he loved her. He got up, changed the sheets and got cleaned up for the night. He didn’t want her sleeping on dirty sheets, or to wake up near a dirty man.

It was finally time for Ashe to be asleep. Arthur made his move. He carefully opened her door and snuck inside quietly shutting the door behind him. He made his way to her bedroom. He was careful and quiet. He didn’t want to scare her and wake her. Everything would be ruined then. He took his time. He saw her sleeping so peacefully completely unaware of what was going on. He approached the bed and gently placed his arms underneath her. “No. Go away.” Arthur froze. He thought she had woken up, but was relieved when she rolled closer to him. He realized she was talking in her sleep. He carefully lifted her from the bed and put her over his shoulder. This had turned out to be even better than he thought. He made his way back to his apartment. He placed her in his bed and waited for her to wake up the next morning.

Ashe woke up in a completely unfamiliar place. The bed she was asleep in was bigger than hers. The walls were peeling and the wallpaper had flowers on it. It was clearly a bedroom for a couple. The poor woman began to panic. Who’s room was this? Someone kidnapped her, but who? “I’m so glad you’re awake.” She looked to her right and saw a very thin man shirtless his smile beaming at her. She didn’t know who he was at first, but then she remembered the incident from nearly a month ago when she helped a man on the subway. “Arthur?” He nodded, overjoyed she remembered him. “You’re so peaceful when you sleep.” ‘Okay, so he watched me sleep? Not only that, but he watched me all this time and I had no idea. Something is very wrong with him.’ She was trying to stay calm. “Arthur, why am I here?” She could barely keep her voice calm. “I brought you home.” ‘He thinks we’re a couple. What the fuck?’ Thoughts were racing through her head. She was trapped with an unstable man and scared out of her mind. There was no one she could call for help. All she could do was brace herself for what was to come and try to escape at the right time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Here’s the second chapter. I’m not sure how well it will turn out since this was originally a oneshot. I was so happy to see so many kudos in just over a week. Thanks so much to everyone who left kudos and feedback. I really appreciate it. This might end up being a multi chapter story depending on how things go with this chapter and feedback. Also, even though this is a slightly fluffy chapter, this still is not intended to be romantic or a love story. Ashe is still very much an unwilling captive.

Ashe was terrified. She never thought just by helping Arthur it would cause her to end up in his apartment. As scared as she was, she knew she needed to be careful. “Arthur...what do you mean you brought me home?” She was still doing the best she could to stay calm. “This is your home now. You’ll be safe with me,” Arthur said softly. Ashe was starting to panic. “Arthur, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not in any danger.” Ashe got up from the bed and started to back away. “That’s where you’re wrong. Gotham is an awful place. Bad things happen to people all the time in this city. No one cares. I won’t let anyone hurt you. No one will ever take you away from me.” His voice was menacing. It only added to Ashe’s fear. “Please...just let me go.” She wanted to run and hide, scream for help. ‘He’s clearly delusional. What the fuck am I supposed to do? To try and leave now wouldn’t be a smart move. He’d catch me before I made it to the door. He must be a lot stronger than he looks if he carried me here. I’d better try to play it cool.’ She took further note of the bedroom and noticed the floral print on the bed. She took this as an opportunity to get to know more about Arthur. She figured there wouldn’t be any harm in learning about her captor. “Well don’t you have someone to tell about us? A mom? Or a sister?” “I never had a sister. It doesn’t matter what my mom thinks. She’s dead.” He lit up a cigarette and began to smoke it. “Oh...I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” She looked down at the carpet. Arthur shrugged and took another drag from his cigarette. “I’m not upset about it. I feel really good, actually. We have each other.” Ashe felt nauseated by that last part. She managed to fight it and looked out the window. ‘Great, I’m too high up to jump out the window. I wouldn’t get very far with one or both of my legs broken. I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled for other escape options.’ 

Arthur put on a shirt. Ashe decided to look around the apartment, to get an idea of her surroundings. She noticed the bathroom was small like hers. The bathtub was pink, and the drywall had that same ugly green tile, too. She continued down the small hallway and made it to the small living room. It wasn’t every different from hers. The furniture wasn’t as nice and floor wasn’t as clean. She went inside the kitchen. It would seem she would also have to climb the counter to reach the shelves in the cupboards in this apartment, too. That was one of the things she hated the most about being short. The knives and other sharp objects were placed out of her reach. There was a notebook on the table, and at least seven pill bottles. Six of them were empty, the last one had a few pills in it. ‘He’s on seven different medications? What for? Maybe to treat his condition? Whatever the case, he must’ve stopped taking them. One of the bottles still has pills in it. Shit, no wonder he’s of his rocker. Maybe I should look through the notebook later.’ She eventually made it to the door. Of course, it was locked tightly. She wasn’t going anywhere. ‘Well shit, guess I should’ve known.’ She decided to sit on the couch and watch TV.

Arthur came out a few minutes later and sat next to Ashe. He embraced her and pulled her close to him. It was nice having a woman this close to him. It had been quite awhile. The only times he had the pleasure of enjoying a woman’s company were when Randall and the guys occasionally paid prostitutes to spend time with him. The women were nice to him. They didn’t mind going on small dates with him, or helping him with his sexual needs. It was part of their profession, after all. They were kind enough to indulge him. They showed him how to please a woman, and over time he became pretty good at it. If his mother asked why he was getting home so late, he just told her he had to work late. It was a win-win for him and the woman he was with during those nights. Aside from those few dates and sexual experiences, Arthur knew it wasn’t the same as a real relationship. Until now, he didn’t have any romantic relationships with women. Things would be different now. He finally has a woman in his life. She wasn’t his mother. She wasn’t a random prostitute paid to spend the night with him. Ashe was real to him, and he would make sure both of them were happy. 

Ashe was doing everything she could to stifle a cry when Arthur pulled her close to him. She felt how hard and boney his chest was. She was barely managing to resist the urge to jerk away from him. Indeed, he was a lot stronger than he looked. Arthur smelled like cologne and cigarettes. It made Ashe nauseated. Her heart was racing. She hated being so close to him. Her anxiety became worse when the news came on. The reporter said three men were murdered on the subway a few weeks ago. They were shot to death. Police still don’t have a name for the suspect, but based on the evidence found at the scene, they believe the murderer is a clown. Ashe’s stomach dropped. “Wait...did...did he say they think a clown is the killer? As in there’s a clown here in Gotham?” “Yeah,” Arthur said, nonchalant about it. Ashe unintentionally grabbed Arthur’s arm and began to shake with panic. “Are...are you alright?” “No,” Ashe squeaked. Her chest tightened. It was getting harder for her to breathe. Tears were streaming down her face. Arthur tightened his hold on her. He shushed her and stroked her hair. Normally, Ashe would have been trying to get away from him, but all she could think about was the clown. “Ashe, relax. Breathe.” “What if he comes back?” “Then I’ll make sure you’re safe.” “Will he come here?” “I don’t know. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, babydoll.” Eventually Ashe calmed down. “Why don’t you like clowns?” “I don’t know. They scare me.” Ashe noticed something different about Arthur. He didn’t break into a laughing fit like he did on the subway. She didn’t think much of it. She was exhausted from the panic attack she just had. She needed to figure out an escape plan. She needed to get away from her insane neighbor. For the moment, exhaustion took over and she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did I do? I hope you liked it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I’m so glad people are enjoying this story. 28 kudos. I never thought I’d get that many. That means so much. Thanks so much to everyone who left kudos, feedback and bookmarks!

Ashe woke up on the couch sometime later. For a moment, she didn’t remember where she was. Once she came to her senses, she remembered falling asleep next to Arthur. ‘So it wasn’t a dream. I’ve got to get out of here.’ Arthur wasn’t on the couch anymore. Ashe figured he was in the bedroom. She decided to fix herself something to eat. ‘Oh, right. I can’t get to the knives. What’s with this guy anyway? Does he think knives are dangerous? How am I supposed to eat?’ Her stomach growled. Arthur came back. His hair was damp from taking a bath. “You’re awake. Are you feeling better?” His voice was soft like before. It almost made Ashe forget he was mentally insane. “A little. I’m hungry. I was gonna make myself something to eat, but I can’t reach the knives.” “It’s for your protection.” “I don’t understand,” Ashe said nervously. “I’m not letting you anywhere near anything sharp. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. I can make something.” ‘Wow, he’s insanely overprotective. Did his mom hurt herself? So much for my idea of using a knife to try and pick the lock and escape.’ Ashe looked down at the floor. “Okay,” her voice was barely audible. She thought it was best not to ask questions. “I’ll take care of everything.” Ashe nodded. She was still looking at the floor.

Arthur didn’t understand why Ashe was unsettled. She seemed afraid. ‘Why is she being like this? She’s acting like we don’t know each other. But we’ve met. I know her. I know I didn’t imagine her, I know she’s real. But why isn’t she happy?’ He noticed she was wiping tears from her eyes. “What’s wrong?” Ashe shook her head and started crying harder. She couldn’t find the right words. She wanted to scream at him. She was so angry at him. He took her life away from her, he took her away from her family and friends. She wondered if she would ever see them again. She was so scared of him. And he had the nerve to ask her what was wrong. She kept crying. “Please...I’m scared. I don’t...”she sobbed. Arthur felt guilty and became nervous. “Shh...I’m sorry. Please don’t...please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Shhh. I only want to keep you safe.” Ashe didn’t know what to say. Her sobs eventually died down. Arthur made her a sandwich. “When you’re done, you can take a bath if you want.” “But what about my clothes? This is the only outfit I have.” “I went back and got your clothes and everything from your bathroom.” ‘What the fuck? He went through my closet and my drawers and my bathroom?’ “Okay. Thanks.” While Ashe was creeped out Arthur was happy to do it. While she was eating, Ashe noticed Arthur was sitting at the table. He was writing in the notebook she saw earlier. She wanted to see what was in it. It must have been nighttime. There wasn’t as much light coming from outside as there was before. She finished eating and went to take a bath.

Ashe was afraid that Arthur would come in while she was bathing, but he never did. Much to her relief. She quickly dried herself off, got dressed and went back into the bedroom. She laid on the bed and it wasn’t long before she fell asleep. Arthur came in and saw her sleeping. He got on the other side of the bed. He rolled over to her and caught that wonderful smell of cocoa and cookies again. He wanted her so badly. He wanted to kiss her, touch her. He wanted to... ‘No.’ He became aroused. Something dark inside him was fighting to come out. He had been dealing with horrific thoughts about others for several weeks. And now he was having dark thoughts about Ashe. He thought about taking advantage of the moment. ‘No. What the fuck is wrong with me? I can’t do that. I won’t do that to her. She wouldn’t like it. I love her.’ He was able to quell the dark thoughts, and his arousal abated. Ashe was there with him, and that was enough. But he would have been lying if he told himself that he wasn’t terrified he might give into the darkness someday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love feedback. So if you’re comfortable, please leave some feedback :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I’m back with another chapter. Thanks again for the comments and kudos. It really means a lot. I’m so glad you’re enjoying my darker take on Arthur.

Arthur slept more peacefully that night than the last few weeks. It was so refreshing for him. He had forgotten what it felt like to wake up feeling energized. He figured it was because he had someone who brought joy to his life. As great as he felt, it was foreign to him because until now he wasn’t happy at any point during his life. Part of him felt bad. He did something to scare Ashe and made her cry. He wasn’t sure what he did wrong. He hated seeing her cry. In his mind, she was always happy to be with him. She wasn’t scared. He thought about how terrified she was when she heard about the possibility of the killer being a clown. When he thought about it, he was relieved he no longer worked as a clown at Ha-Ha’s. She wouldn’t have to know he was a clown. It would have scared her even more. He didn’t want to result to other measures to subdue her if he could help it. He was prepared. While he was in the hospital with his mother, he stole several sedatives. At the time, he was planning on using them to help with his insomnia. He didn’t need to worry about getting caught. He was very discrete. Even if someone noticed, it was a hospital in Gotham. They would have looked the other way. ‘Hopefully I won’t have to use them on her. I’ll keep them around just in case.’ He also thought about how odd it was that the people of Gotham seemed to care three Wall Street guys were killed, but they didn’t care that drugs were stolen by people at the bottom of the ladder like him. He put it out of his mind. ‘It doesn’t matter. I killed those guys because they were assholes. They were harassing a girl and she needed my help. I could see it in her eyes. It was the only time I was grateful for another uncontrollable fit of laughter. That girl was able to get to safety, even though the men’s attention was then focused on me. They got what they deserved. They got what they deserved, and I know that girl was grateful I helped her.’ Arthur was proud of himself. The best thing was there was nothing directly linking him to the murders. Ashe stirred in her sleep. She murmured, but Arthur couldn’t make out what she said. He gently stroked her face and was careful not to wake her. He decided to get dressed and make breakfast.

Ashe woke up and still felt exhausted. She felt stiff, too. How could she possibly be well-rested in this situation? She had nightmares all night. She dreamed about a clown. He killed six people, and then he was chasing after her. She was scared he was going to kill her because he killed those people right in front of her, and he thought she would tell the police. He eventually caught her. She expected him to shoot her, or choke her to death, but he didn’t. Instead, he tenderly cupped her face in both hands and kissed her. She was crying and trying to push him away from her, screaming at him not to touch her, and to leave her alone. That was when she woke up. She was very anxious. ‘God, I hate clowns. Of all things, why did the killer have to be a clown? No way in hell will I let one get close enough to me.’ When she finished waking up, she took a bath and went to the living room. It was a gloomy day. She could tell from the light blue that was peeking in. It was probably going to rain most of the day. Arthur made oatmeal and sat at the table. He put Ashe’s oatmeal across from him. “Oh, good you’re awake. I made oatmeal for breakfast. I hope that’s okay.” Ashe still couldn’t look at him. She looked at the floor and nodded. “Did you sleep okay?” Ashe was still looking at the floor and shook her head. “No, not really.” Her voice was still quiet, barely above a whisper. “Did you have a bad dream?” Ashe nodded. “Was it about the clown?” Ashe didn’t say anything. “I told you. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Besides, he’s probably long gone by now. He probably had a reason to kill those guys. They were probably awful like a lot of people in this city.” Ashe felt sick by what Arthur said. She couldn’t believe Arthur was trying to make excuses for the clown’s actions. She was afraid to tell him it’s never okay for people to kill others. She was worried it would upset him for some reason, so she let it go.

They finished eating and turned on the TV. The news came on and there were a few updates. The reporter said police have begun questioning employees at Ha-Ha’s. Police said most of them had an alibi. They had a few more suspects to question in the hope to gain more information to catch the killer. They knew for sure the killer was a clown, and it was likely one of the remaining suspects works at Ha-Ha’s. Ashe was relieved to hear the new bits of information. It meant police were that much closer to catching the killer. ‘At least that’s one less thing to worry about. Once they catch that crazy clown, I won’t have to worry about him being on the streets, and I’ll finally be able to focus on getting out of here. As fucked up as it sounds, Arthur hasn’t really done anything bad to me. It’s better than being killed by an insane clown. At least I’m safe here. And even though both are shitty choices, I’d rather be stuck with an insane, overprotective neighbor than a clown that wants to butcher me or God knows what else. They’ll catch him soon. I just need to hang in there a little longer.’ Ashe saw Arthur stand up and clench his fists. She was scared. She saw his eyes go dark. Something must have upset him. It was uncomfortably quiet. She was too afraid to say anything.

Arthur was furious. He didn’t like what he heard on the news one bit. He knew it was most likely only him and Randall the police needed to question. ‘I’ve got to do something. I can’t really trust any of the guys to not mention me, except Gary, maybe. He’s one of the only people who’s ever been nice to me. But Randall, no. I sure as fuck can’t trust him. He got me fired from my job. He gave me that gun for protection and then fucked me over. Shit, what do I do? He better not show his stupid fucking face here. If he does, I’ll...’ “Arthur?” Ashe’s soft voice brought him out of his rage. He looked over and saw Ashe. She looked worried. “It’s okay. I’m fine now. I just need a smoke.” He grabbed the last cigarette from the pack and sighed. “I need to get more cigarettes. I won’t be gone long.” He put on his tan hoodie, zipped it up, and locked the door behind him as he left. Ashe heard thunder and it began to rain. Since she had nothing to do, she figured she would read Arthur’s notebook while he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment. I always appreciate feedback :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. Here’s another chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who has left comments and kudos. I’ve got 47 kudos in just a few weeks. I can’t believe it! It means so much! I’m so glad this not being a romantic story or a story where the character falls in love with Arthur has lost your interest. Anyway, on with the chapter.

Ashe walked over to the table and carefully opened the notebook. It seemed Arthur was using it as both a personal diary and a book of jokes. The jokes were pretty tame. It surprised Ashe she figured the jokes would be a lot worse considering Arthur is so strange. ‘He must be trying to get into comedy.’ She continued flipping through pages and a personal entry. ‘I went to the pharmacy to get my medications today. Someone cut in front of me, like I wasn’t even there. I would have thought he would ask if it was okay if he went ahead of me, but no. He didn’t ask. No one ever asks. Everyone just walks right past me, it’s like I don’t exist. Why is everyone so rude?’ Ashe continued flipping through the pages. There were several pictures of naked women from magazines. There were also drawings of more naked women sketched next to some joke entries. Ashe knew it was normal for men to have interests in pornography. She would have put it out of her mind, but it was excessive. The drawings and magazine clippings were scattered throughout a bunch of pages. ‘This is kind of perverse. Does Arthur think of me like this?’ It made her feel sick. She didn’t want to think about it. 

She read another personal entry. ‘Randall and the guys got me another...date tonight. It was my fourth date with a woman. I guess I can’t really call it a date, can I? If a woman has to be paid to go out with me and have sex with me, it’s not a real relationship. I know it’s more for the guys’ benefit than mine. It’s not all bad. All of the women have been nice to me. They even showed me how to please a woman. This time, I actually felt confident. I’m glad I didn’t doubt myself as much as I have been in the past. She enjoyed herself. It was a very sweet moment, and while I enjoyed it too, I want a real relationship. Well, if I ever get a girlfriend, at least I have an idea of what she’ll like.’ Ashe kept reading. ‘I met with the social worker today. As usual, she never listens. She just asks the same questions every week. She told me social services are getting cut. I can’t believe this shit. How am I supposed get my medications now? Can it get any worse than this?’

Unfortunately, it did. Ashe felt a little sorry for Arthur. She kept reading. ‘I got jumped by some kids today while I was working. They stole the sign, Hoyt called me into his office. When I told him what happened, he didn’t believe me he said he would be taking the sign out of my paycheck. He said he would give me another chance, but he also told me the guys think I’m weird. He said when I’m working at the hospital entertaining sick kids I make the mothers uncomfortable. Why? What did I do wrong? I just want to make people laugh, to see them happy.’

Ashe became unsettled by the next entries. They were about her. ‘Today actually ended on a high note for me. One of my fits of laughter started up, and the guy sitting next to me was about to beat me up. But a pretty girl stopped him. I couldn’t believe it. She noticed me. She actually cared. She gave me my card. Her smile was so pretty, she seemed happy. How could she be happy in this city? She said her name is Ashe. I want to know more about her. I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s not like the women in my magazines at all. She’s a good person. I can tell by the warmth in her eyes and her smile. Penny, who I thought was my mom, never showed much concern for me only herself and Thomas Wayne. Well, I don’t need to worry about that anymore. I gave her what she deserved. I need someone like Ashe. I need her warmth, I need her compassion.’ It got worse as she came to the next page. ‘I got fired from my job yesterday. I guess I won’t be working as a clown for Ha-Ha’s anymore.’ Ashe felt a chill go down her spine. ‘A clown? No, he couldn’t be...’ There was still more of the entry to read so she kept going. ‘That fucking lying piece of shit Randall got me fired. He fucking told Hoyt I bought the gun off him. If I ever see him, I’ll...well, it doesn’t matter. I probably won’t see him again anyway. I was heading home on the subway, and three Wall Street pricks were harassing a girl. She looked over to me as if she was asking for help. It was the only time I was grateful to have an uncontrollable laughing fit. The shit heads directed their attention to me and the girl got away. They were beating me up and I shot them with the gun. The third guy tried to get away. I wasn’t gonna let that happen. I cornered him and shot him. I know that girl was grateful. Three less miserable little piss ants around to make people’s lives hell. I feel pretty damn good. I feel even better since I saw Ashe tonight. I was just taking a walk, and there she was. What was she doing alone at night in the city? I saw her give a sandwich to a homeless man. I was right. She’s genuinely a nice person. I know what I have to do. I have to keep her safe, I have to protect her from Gotham. I’ll do anything to keep her safe and happy. I love her.’

Ashe swallowed and kept reading. ‘I’ve been following Ashe for about a week now. I know where she works, what her favorite coffee is, her cute mannerisms. She lives in the same building as me. I went inside her apartment while she was at work. It was easy enough to get inside since the lock is broken. She’s so trusting and fearless. That night when she was walking down the street, it made me think that homeless man could have done something awful to her. She could have been that girl on the subway, but not as lucky. She can easily be taken advantage of. I won’t let that happen. I’ll bring her here so she’ll always be safe. We won’t have to worry about anything. We’ll have each other.’ Ashe couldn’t read any more. She closed the notebook.

Ashe’s mind was racing. ‘Shit. He said he would protect me from danger. He said he would protect me from the clown. He’s the clown. This whole fucking time...he’s the killer. Oh, God. Oh fuck, no. I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to tell someone.’ She saw the phone, but before she could get to it, she heard the lock turn. Arthur was back. Arthur came in. He was soaked, his wet hair hung in his face. Ashe panicked. “What’s wrong, babydoll?” Ashe couldn’t answer him. He was trying to calm her down, but she wouldn’t. He had no choice but to use a sedative. He got one out of the drawer, and filled the syringe. Ashe never saw it. Arthur held her tightly in his grip. Ashe couldn’t break free. Arthur held her still and injected her with the sedative. “Shhh. Good girl. There we go. You can sleep now.” Ashe began to calm down and passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment. I hope you’ll stick around for more :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I’m back with another chapter. 52 kudos so far holy crap. I’m so happy you guys like this story and want me to keep writing for it. Thanks so much for all the comments. I appreciate them so much. Also, just a quick note about Arthur’s journal entries: I know in the movie a lot of the words are misspelled, and I would’ve tried to be more creative by intentionally misspelling words but auto correct keeps messing it up. So I’m just gonna spell things correctly. I hope that’s okay. Just wanted to bring that up in case I include more entries in future chapters.

Arthur carried Ashe to bed. She looked peaceful in spite of the panic attack she was having. He took out a cigarette and began to smoke it. He shook his head. He felt very guilty about injecting her with a sedative. He just wanted her to calm down. That wasn’t the only thing he felt bad about. Part of him wanted to let Ashe go. He knew it wasn’t easy for her to be taken away from everyone and everything she had. ‘I had to. It’s for the best. I know this is hard for her, but she’ll come around and realize I did it for us. I just wish I didn’t have to drug her. What was I supposed to do? She barely slept since she’s been here. She was hysterical. I kept asking her what was wrong. I kept telling her that everything is fine and I wasn’t going anywhere, but all it did was make her more upset. I was afraid she would hurt herself. I’ve got a first aide kit just in case, but I really don’t want to use it if I can help it. I hope she knows I did it for her protection, the same reason I’ve done everything else. I hope she wakes up okay.’ He went out to the living room to give her some space.

Arthur decided to pass the time by watching a few episodes of Murray Franklin. It made him smile. It reminded him of the times he watched it at night with his mother. For a moment, he felt sad she wasn’t there to watch Murray with him. It was one of the few things he enjoyed doing with his mother. He didn’t feel guilty about smothering her. She lied to him his entire life, he was devastated. He was so angry at her. But then, if he never discovered the painful truth, he never would’ve found out who he is. A small part of him missed her. Even if she lied to him and let the abuse happen, she was still his mother. He could put those feelings aside. He has Ashe now. He wondered if she would watch Murray Franklin with him and like the show as much as he does. It made him excited just thinking about it. He decided to read the newspaper. He wished he didn’t when he saw the headline. “Young Woman Missing.” He read more of the excerpt. “Thirty-year-old Ashlyn Taylor has been missing for two days. Friends became very concerned since she hasn’t shown up for work or returned their calls when they tried to reach out to her. Anyone with any information regarding her whereabouts is urged to contact the Gotham City Police Department.” Arthur should’ve been worried but he wasn’t. He felt that darkness in him again. The news about the clown killing those Wall Street guys was still the top story in the news. ‘They just won’t let the murders of three rich guys go, will they? It’s been two weeks, and it’s still the top story. Meanwhile, some poor sweet girl has been missing for two days and it’s not even part of the regular news. They care about three rich pricks getting killed, but they don’t give a two shilling shit when a random girl goes missing. What a joke. But hey, that’s Gotham. That’s life.’ He was disgusted, but the darkness in him found it slightly humorous. He look one last drag from his cigarette and shook his head. He took his lighter and burned the news paper with it. When enough of it was burned, he threw it in the trash and put out his cigarette.

Ashe finally woke up. She felt groggy and a little dizzy. Her body felt heavy. ‘What the hell happened? I feel so heavy, the world is spinning.’ As Ashe came to her senses, she remembered everything. ‘Shit, that’s right. I found out about all those awful things he did when I read his diary. Why did I have to be so stupid? I should’ve called the police while he was gone, but I was afraid he could come back at anytime while I was on the phone. I was afraid he would be upset with me and I would’ve made it worse for myself. I’ve got to get out. I have to...’ Ashe felt nauseated from panic and tried to get to the bathroom. She made it inside and her stomach churned. ‘Oh, no. Please not now. Please.’ She vomited just as she made it to the toilet bowl. Some of it got on her, but thankfully most of it ended up in the toilet. Arthur heard her and went to check on her. He saw her sitting on the floor, leaning over the toilet bowl, violently heaving and vomiting. It was so violent tears were streaming down her face and her throat burned. Arthur grabbed a towel. “Ashe! Are you alright?” “No. Please. I don’t want to throw up again. I don’t want-“ another wave of nausea hit, and she vomited again. Arthur held her hair back. After she vomited, the nausea went away. Arthur wiped her face face with the towel. Ashe saw the vomit on her and the floor and cried. “Oh no, It’s everywhere! It was an accident! I swear!” She tried to stand, but felt dizzy. She looked like a wounded animal trying to stand and then fell back down. It hurt Arthur to see her like that. ‘Poor baby. She can’t even stand. It must be from the drug. She’ll be okay.’ “Shhh. It’s alright. I’ll clean it up, babydoll. Don’t worry.” Ashe was finally calming down, realizing Arthur wasn’t mad at her. “I’ll clean this up and give you bath.” While Arthur was thrilled to help her, Ashe didn’t feel the same way. Just when she was thinking it couldn’t get any worse, it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it. Let me know what you think :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here’s chapter seven. It’s probably not gonna be as long as the others. Thanks again for the comments and kudos. I haven’t gotten feedback on chapter six yet, and that’s okay. I wanted to go ahead and post this chapter while I’ve got my ideas so I don’t wait until later and forget what I was planning lol. Also, just a few quick notes: I should’ve mentioned this earlier, but better late than never. There probably won’t be any smut in this story. I’ve only written a few fanfictions in general and I don’t feel comfortable writing smut. If anything sexual happens, it won’t be that graphic. I know there are people who have a clown kink, or a thing for Arthur’s Joker, and that’s totally fine. Since I don’t, writing smut would be even more difficult. I hope that’s not too disappointing. Thanks for understanding :)

Ashe froze. ‘Wait. Did I hear him correctly? Did he say he would give me a bath? What the fuck?’ She was silent for a moment. “What do you mean you’ll clean this up and give me a bath?” she asked anxiously. “I can’t leave you in here by yourself. It’s too dangerous. You fell down when you tried to stand up, and I don’t want you to risk hurting yourself. I’ll help you.” Arthur said it as if he had no problem with it, as if he’d done something like this several times. Ashe felt mortified. A man she barely knew was about to do something very intimate to her. She thought about the magazine clippings of the naked women in Arthur’s journal. ‘I knew it. He thinks of me as a sex object for his perverted fantasies. What the fuck am I supposed to do?’ “But...but...we don’t...we barely know each other. I can do it myself.” She was trying to preserve her dignity. “I don’t mind. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before.” Ashe knew she couldn’t get out of this. She was about to cry again, but she held back the tears and shook her head. She swallowed her pride. ‘I’m a big girl. I can do this. It’s better to just go along with it. I’m in no position to fight back.’ “Okay,” she murmured. Arthur helped her into the bedroom so he could clean up the vomit. He told her he would come back when he was done. 

Ashe’s apprehension was getting to her. She decided to look through the drawers of the nightstand. She came across a picture of a couple. They were young and attractive. She noticed writing on the back of it. “Love your smile. T.W.” ‘T.W. As in, Thomas Wayne? The same Thomas Wayne who’s currently running to be the mayor of Gotham? But who’s this woman he’s with? She doesn’t look like his wife. What do I care? It’s not my business what he does. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s been with a lot of women. He’s rich and powerful. No doubt some women are drawn to those things. I’m not one of them. Frankly, the guy seems like a pompous asshole. Money doesn’t buy love.’ She put the picture back and closed the drawer. At least it was a way to get her mind off of what was about to happen. She wished she hadn’t found out about all the awful things Arthur did. She was even more terrified of him now that she knew what he was capable of. Before he was just her creepy, unstable neighbor, but now he was also a murderer. But he was so soft spoken. She never would’ve thought he was capable of murder. He made her and probably others feel uneasy, and aside from kidnapping her, she didn’t think he was a bad person. He hasn’t hurt her. ‘Oh God. What if he does hurt me?’ She heard the bath water running and Arthur came back.

Arthur helped her back in the bathroom. She could smell the chemicals from the stuff he used to clean it. She felt him pull at her shirt. She jumped and tried to pull away, but she couldn’t. He eventually got her shirt off and started pulling her pants down. She kept trying to pull away from him, but she couldn’t put up much of a fight. She didn’t see the point. He was going to undress her no matter what she did, so she just gave up and let him do it. She knew the worst was yet to come. She got in the tub and tensed at the feeling of the warm water. She sat and curled herself into a ball to keep everything out of Arthur’s sight. She was shaking with fear as the realization hit her. “Is the water okay?” Ashe didn’t say anything, she just nodded. He wet her hair with the cup and lathered it with the shampoo. Ashe tensed under his touch. She was doing everything she could to calm herself. Arthur rinsed her hair and put the conditioner in it. Ashe was still curled up. She felt Arthur put a hand on her shoulder and she flinched. “I’m gonna need you to let go so I can clean you up. Please.” Ashe frantically shook her head. She was humiliated. ‘Do not touch me! Do not fucking touch me!’ “It’s gonna be fine. I’ll be gentle.” ‘Oh, hell no!’ Arthur washed her body and to Ashe’s surprise he didn’t do anything sexual. He rinsed the conditioner from her hair. He helped her dry off, get dressed and put her to bed. ‘Thank God it’s over. Thank fucking God.’ She went back to sleep.

Arthur was impressed with himself. He couldn’t believe he just did that. A month ago he wouldn’t have been able to talk to Ashe, let alone see her naked and bathe her. He knew she was uncomfortable and he felt bad about it. He wasn’t sure where all this confidence was coming from, but he liked it. He liked being in control. When he was bathing her, felt the darkness in him fighting to come out again. It was so hard for him to resist touching her in all the ways he wanted. She was vulnerable. There would have been nothing she could do to stop him. ‘No. I hate she’s upset and having a hard time. I hate seeing her cry.’ Another dark thought came to him. ‘But she’s so pretty when she cries.’ He fought with it. ‘No. She’ll hate me. I don’t want her to hate me.’ He thought about how much more upset she was when he came back. He looked over to the table. It was then that he remembered he forgot to put his diary away. ‘She knows. She knows about everything.’ He realized she read his diary while he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here’s the next chapter!

Arthur didn’t know what to think. He regretted Ashe had to find out about everything by reading his diary. He needed to talk to her. If he couldn’t get her to calm down on his own, he still had plenty of sedatives if he needed to give her another one. He had seen his fair share of drugs being administered to patients when he was in the hospital. It turns out those observations came in handy. He hadn’t hurt her, and that was the important thing. ‘I know she’s afraid. She knows about everything. I don’t blame her. She’ll understand when I explain everything to her.’ He reassured himself everything would be fine. Aside from Ashe, no one else knew. She couldn’t go anywhere to tell anyone, so there was nothing for Arthur to worry about. He decided to wash dishes.

Ashe woke up. She felt a lot better than she did the last time she woke up. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. When she finished up, she went into the living room. ‘I’m okay. Arthur hasn’t hurt me. If he wanted to hurt me, he would have already. I just need to give it some time, wait until the right moment. I can call the police and tell them everything. As long as I play it safe, I’ll be okay.’ She saw Arthur in the kitchen. As she moved the floor creaked. Arthur turned the sink water off. Ashe just stood there and watched him. “You should’ve told me you read my diary.” Ashe froze. ‘Oh, shit. I’m dead! I’m so fucking dead!’ She backed away from him. ‘My mind is telling me to run, but I can’t!’ Arthur moved toward her. “Arthur...did you...did you really kill those Wall Street guys? Did you...” she swallowed nervously. “Did you kill your mother?” Arthur sighed. He knew explaining everything wouldn’t be easy. “I can explain.” That was all she needed to know. 

Ashe tried run, but she only had enough time to turn around before Arthur grabbed her and pulled her back into him. He was rougher than he meant to be. He held her firmly against him. She couldn’t move. “Don’t be afraid.” Ashe felt Arthur’s breath on her neck. She couldn’t hold back anymore and let tears stream down her face. “Arthur, please,” she pleaded. “No. I need you to know why I did it. You need to know how bad Gotham is. I killed those rich guys because they were awful. They were harassing a girl. They were gonna do something bad to her. But then I got their attention. They were beating me up. I finally snapped. My whole life I’ve been ignored and abused. I finally had the power to fight back, so I did. I was so sick of it all! I shot them. They deserved it! They thought it was fun to laugh at me, a peasant of Gotham. Well, those assholes got what was coming to them. They’re not laughing anymore! I thought it would bother me, but it didn’t. I made three assholes go away, and people noticed. And Penny, I killed her because she lied to me. She told me I was Thomas Wayne’s son. I was abused over and over by her boyfriend and she let it happen. I’m not even her biological son! My whole life was a lie. Killing her freed me. I freed myself from the lie and found out who I really am! I’m better than I’ve ever been. Gotham is a shit hole, Ashe. No one gives a shit about people like us. Has anyone asked about you or been looking for you? No, they haven’t. Everyone is still going on about those pricks, but if something happens to us, nothing. Radio fucking silence. So now you see. Now you understand. We don’t need anyone else. We have each other and that’s all that matters.” Ashe didn’t say a word. She was going to tell him that killing is wrong, but now, she couldn’t. ‘Holy shit. What the fuck do I do? I’m so fucking scared. I really can’t reason with him.’ She just nodded in response. Arthur was so happy. ‘That’s my good girl.’ “I knew you’d understand.” “You’re not mad at me?” her voice was shaky. “No, angel. I’m not mad at you. You didn’t do anything wrong. Are you hungry?” Ashe nodded. “I’ll make something.” Ashe practically plopped on the couch. She realized how unhinged Arthur was, and it was even worse knowing she couldn’t get through to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it. Let me know I appreciate feedback!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here’s the next chapter. Thanks so much for the comments and 71 kudos!

Ashe felt like she had the wind knocked out of her. Yes, she knew Arthur killed the Wall Street guys and his mother since it was in his diary. But to hear him admit it, to hear him shamelessly confess to everything rattled her. ‘I really thought I could do it. I thought I could reason with him. I thought if I told him killing people is wrong even if they treat him badly, he would understand. But I know I can’t reason with him now. He really believed he was doing the right thing. I do feel bad for him. I feel bad he’s been ignored and abused by others. I feel bad that he’s had such a hard life. But none of the things that happened to him justifies murdering people. I still can’t believe someone as soft spoken as him could do things like that. I mean, yeah, he’s creepy as fuck and extremely socially awkward, but I never would’ve thought he’s capable of murder. But then again, when I first saw him and helped him that day on the subway, I didn’t think he would stalk me and eventually kidnap me. That’s what I get for trying to help someone.’ Ashe was having so much trouble processing everything. Eventually she decided to put it aside for now and sighed.

Arthur was making her a sandwich and saw her sitting on the couch with her head down. ‘I know this is a lot for her to take in. I know she was scared at first. I didn’t mean to scare her. I just...needed her to understand. I’m so glad she understands. I don’t know how I got so lucky to have someone like her. It’s been a few days since I stopped taking my medication and I feel so much better. I feel better than I did when I was taking them. So maybe not being able to get them won’t be so bad.’ He finished up and joined Ashe on the couch. “You okay?” Ashe still has her head down. ‘No. I’m really fucking far from okay. I’m terrified of you.’ She nodded. “Yeah. It’s just...well I...” she didn’t know what to say. She felt like she was walking on eggshells. She decided to mention other things in his diary. She didn’t want to get him or herself worked up over the murders. “I um...I saw the women in your diary.” Arthur was embarrassed. “Arthur, do you think of me like that?” There was a long pause. He was trying to think of something to say. “I didn’t have any women in my life at the time. It was just me and Penny. I needed something. It’s normal for men to have those things, Ashe. Everyone has needs.” ‘Yeah it’s normal and everyone does have needs, but you’ve got pictures of naked women all over the place in your diary. They’re excessive and it’s not healthy.’ She felt his hand trailing gently down her back and instantly regretted asking him about the magazine clippings. She tensed up at his touch. ‘Oh, Christ. Am I turning him on?!’ She leaned forward away from his touch, grabbed the remote and quickly turned on the TV.

Luckily it was the news. She saw a bunch of people. They were angry. Some of them were holding signs. They all had different things written on them. Things like “Fuck the Rich!” “Fuck Wayne!” and “We Are All Clowns.” just to name a few. “Sir, can you tell us what this protest is about?” the reporter asked. “Yeah. We’re protesting Thomas Wayne. A bunch of services and jobs have been cut so that rich assholes like him can have their precious tax cuts. The rich fucks have been taking pretty much everything away from us. I guess someone in this city finally had enough and decided to send a message by killing those three guys.” “What do you think of the person who killed those men?” “I’ll tell you what I think of him, lady. I think he’s a fucking hero. Thomas Wayne has no idea what it’s like to live at the bottom of the ladder. We’ve been getting shit on for so long by people like him, and one guy decided he’s had enough. Did they really think they could shit on us again and we’d just take it with a smile on our faces and thank them for it? No. We’re done. They don’t get to shit on us and call us clowns. Fuck Tomas Wayne! Fuck the rich!” Ashe looked over at Arthur and noticed he was smiling. ‘That’s fucked up. People in the city are losing their shit and he’s happy about it. Well at least I got his mind off...other things.’ Arthur was so happy. People were acknowledging him. They even called him a hero. It made his whole day. He was brought out of the moment when the phone rang. It was someone from the Murray Franklin show inviting him to be a guest. He accepted the invitation and hung up the phone. “Ashe, I’m gonna be on the Murray Franklin show.” Ashe looked at him confused. “Who’s Murray Franklin?” Arthur was shocked she didn’t know about Murray. “I’ve been watching him for years. He’s like a father figure to me. You’ll like it.” They went to bed that night and watched Murray. “What did you think?” “I don’t know, Arthur. Are you sure you wanna go on his show?” “What do you mean?” Ashe was trying to be considerate of his feelings. “Well...he doesn’t really seem funny, just making fun of people and being a jerk.” “Nah, that’s just his humor. It’ll be fine, you’ll see.” Ashe couldn’t shake the feeling that bad things were going to happen. She tried her best to let it go and they went to bed for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment and let me know what you think :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here’s the next chapter. Thanks so much for all the comments and kudos. I really appreciate it. Things are gonna be intense in this chapter. I hope you like it.

Ashe woke up feeling unsettled. She couldn’t get her mind off of the Murray Franklin Show. She had a feeling something terrible would happen if he went on it. She went to take a bath hoping to put it out of her mind. When she finished up, she felt a little more at ease. Luckily, Arthur was still sleeping. She got dressed and brushed her teeth. She finished up just before he woke up. Arthur had slept better these last few nights than he had in years. He was excited to be on Murray the following night. He couldn’t wait to be there dressed up in his fancy red suit, green hair and full clown makeup. ‘If I’m going on as a clown, I’m gonna need a clown name. What was it Murray called me when he saw my tape? A joker? Hmm. Joker. I like it. I’ll ask him to call me Joker.’ He remembered Ashe’s fear of clowns. ‘I should tell her I’m going on as a clown. She won’t be afraid if she knows it’s me she’s watching on the TV.’ “Ashe, why are you afraid of clowns?” Ashe didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to think about the awful things she read in his diary. She didn’t want to think about the fact that he was the killer clown everyone was talking about. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding in. “I had a bad experience with them when I was little. My mom took me to a party and they got up close. I don’t know...they scared me and I haven’t liked them since then.” Arthur could tell she was feeling uneasy, so he didn’t push her for details. He decided not to tell her he was going on the show as a clown.

After they ate breakfast, the phone rang again. Ashe went to answer it, but Arthur stopped her. “Don’t answer it. Just let it ring.” Ashe didn’t argue with him. It was a detective from the Gotham Police Department. He mentioned there were a few things that didn’t add up with what Arthur said earlier and he had more questions for him. He left his number for Arthur to contact him and hung up. ‘Shit. They’re gonna eventually show up here.’ Ashe looked over to Arthur. He had that dark look in his eyes again. He pulled her closer to him. She was terrified he might snap. She just sat there and let the silence pass through. She finally said his name, but the darkness in him didn’t leave. He smelled her scent and it was driving him wild. He fought with himself again. He wanted to drag her to the bedroom and take her. “Arthur, are you okay?” He barely managed to suppress a groan. ‘I love the way she says my name. So fucking sweet. God, I want to hear her say it as she’s writhing underneath me. No, what the fuck am I thinking?’ Eventually the darkness in him left, but he was terrified he almost gave into it. “I’m fine. I’m gonna get cleaned up.” Ashe wanted to call the detective so badly, but the phone was so close, she knew Arthur would hear her. All she could do was wait for another opportunity.

Ashe woke up the next morning and got ready before Arthur woke up. She went out to the living room and waited. He got up, but he was taking longer than usual. When he finally came out, Ashe was horrified. ‘What the fuck!’ Arthur was shirtless, wearing a blue pair of pants. His hair was dyed green and his entire face was painted white. It looked haunting. “What’s wrong? It’s for Murray tonight.” Before she could say anything, someone buzzed the door. Arthur opened it, and saw Randall. He sneered at him. “Hey Arthur. How are you?” The voice was British. He looked down and immediately perked up when he saw Gary. “Hey, guys. Come in.” “Did you get another job?” Gary asked. “Nah, it’s for something else.” “Alright then,” Randall said. They saw Ashe on the couch. “Well look at this. So you finally got yourself a girlfriend. Hey, Gary, you see this? Art got himself a little girlfriend.” Gary gave her a friendly smile and waved. “You don’t have to be a dick about it, Randall,” Gary said.“Hi, Gary. I’m Ashe.” Randall was disappointed she didn’t greet him, too. “Wait a minute. Is your name Ashlyn Taylor?” Randall asked. Ashe was surprised he knew her name. “Yeah, why?” “Oh, Jesus. There was a section in the newspaper that mentioned a girl went missing a few days ago. Christ, Art. Did you kidnap her?” Ashe felt like someone punched her in the stomach. It churned at Randall’s words. “Newspaper? Wait a minute. You said no news outlets reported I was missing. You...you lied to me!” Arthur didn’t say anything. He took a drag from his cigarette he had been smoking. “I tried to talk you into getting rid of that gun. I was afraid you’d get yourself and other people hurt. That’s why I ratted you out. The cops came and questioned everyone. We all had alibis.” “No one talked to me,” Gary said. “That’s because the suspect is normal size. If it was a dwarf, you wouldn’t be here right now.” ‘Asshole,’ Ashe thought. “Hoyt said they talked to you, and they’re looking for me. I need to know what you told them, and make sure everything checks out. You’re my boy.” “Thanks, Randall.” Ashe saw Arthur take a pair of scissors out of his pocket, but before she could say anything, Arthur stabbed Randall in the neck and again in the eye. Gary and Ashe were screaming, terrified of what might happen next. “It’s fine, Gary. You can go. I won’t hurt you.” Gary slowly walked toward the door, and Arthur jumped out to scare him. He was petrified when he couldn’t reach the lock. “Hey, Arthur?” “Hmm?” “Can you open the lock?” Arthur smiled. “Shit. I’m sorry, Gary.” He opened the door, but then closed it. Gary looked over to Ashe for a split second and nodded. “Gary?” “Yeah?” “You were the only person to ever show me kindness.” Arthur opened the door and Gary ran out. Ashe froze. “Ashe,” she flinched away. “No. Stay away from me! You’re dangerous!” “Baby.” He was trying to calm her. She shook her head. “Don’t make me do this again.” He said it as if he was about to do something he had done to her before and he felt bad about it. He truly felt bad she had to see him kill someone. Ashe ran and Arthur sighed, got another sedative from the drawer. and filled the syringe. He found her trying to jump out the window. He grabbed her and pulled her back inside. “No! Get off me!” She thrashed around trying to get out of his grip, but he was too strong. She cried out when she felt something sharp poke her arm. She passed out. When she woke up, she was in a different room. She wasn’t in Arthur’s bedroom. “Ashe?” She recognized the voice. “Gary? Where am I?” “It’s alright. You’re in the hospital.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea about the scene where Arthur kills Randall. I thought it might be interesting if Arthur had a delusion about Randall giving him the gun and telling Hoyt that Arthur tried to buy the gun off him. And what actually happened was Randall never gave him the gun and was trying to talk him out of having one. He was worried so he told Hoyt Arthur had a gun. Hoyt fired Arthur so others wouldn’t have their safety put at risk. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you think :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks again for all the comments. I really appreciate you. Also 79 kudos is huge for me. I’ve never gotten that many on a story before. I can’t thank you enough for all the support :D Okay, so just a quick note: I’m eventually planning on putting Arthur’s Joker in the story. Thing is, since there’s no word of a sequel or this interpretation of the Joker appearing in different storylines, I’m not quite sure what this Joker’s personality will be like. See, the movie itself is such a great slow burn that it’s essentially a first act. The whole movie Arthur is in transition to becoming the Joker. He’s not really the Joker until the very end of the movie. What I mean by that is Arthur only killed people who wronged him, but then at the very end of the movie when he’s in Arkham, is when Arthur is truly gone and has become the Joker. The look in his eyes as he sang along to That’s Life was the look of someone turned evil. He wasn’t Arthur anymore. I wanted to yell at the therapist “Get out of there now! You’re not safe!” Plus, I think he killed her. Each time Arthur killed someone he danced. He also danced when he walked down the hallway in Arkham. The therapist didn’t to anything bad to him. He killed an innocent person. So I’m not quite sure how to write Arthur’s Joker because of it. Maybe I’ll just give it a shot and see what y’all think, yeah? Okay, on with the chapter.

Ashe was confused about how she ended up in the hospital. “The hospital? But how? The last thing I remember was Arthur grabbing me before I tried to jump out of the kitchen window. Did he bring me here?” “No. After Arthur lost his shit and killed Randall, I was afraid of what might happen to you, so I was gonna call the police. Luckily, as I was on my way to a phone booth, I came across two detectives. I told them about what happened. Unfortunately, Arthur was gone by the time they got there. They found you unconscious on the bed. You weren’t responding to them, so they called for an ambulance. I’m glad I was able to get help for you in case something awful happened.” Ashe didn’t know what to say. She knew thanking him wasn’t enough. “I really owe you big time, Gary. But why? Why did you help me?” “It was nothing, really. I couldn’t just leave you there. It was the right thing to do. When Randall mentioned he saw your name in the papers, I knew you were the same girl who was missing, and that Arthur must’ve kidnapped you. I just...had to get you out if there somehow. I had no idea how sick he was. I knew he had problems, but for him to kidnap you, and then kill Randall like that...it’s bonkers. I thought I should wait with you until you woke up. The detectives want to talk to you, so I should probably let them know you’re awake.” Ashe nodded. “Gary?” He turned back to her. “Would you mind staying with me for awhile? I don’t want to be alone right now. After everything that’s happened, I just...” she choked up mid sentence trying not to sob. “I just need someone here.” “I understand.” “Thanks, Gary.” He nodded and left.

A few minutes later, Gary came back with the detectives. “Hi, Ashe. I’m detective Burke and this is detective Garrity. We have a few questions we’d like to ask you. Are you feeling up to it?” “Sure.” “Great. As you know, we’ve been looking for a man.” “Arthur.” “Yes, that’s right. Arthur Fleck. Can we ask you some questions about him?” “Go ahead.” “When we found you in his apartment, you were heavily sedated. Were you aware he had them?” Ashe’s stomach dropped. “No. Are you saying he drugged me? Is that why I feel so sluggish?” “Most likely yes.” ‘That crazy bastard drugged me! He drugged me and I had no idea! Fuck. He could have done anything and I wouldn’t have been able to stop him.’ “Did he mention anything about murdering people on a subway a few weeks ago? What about his mother, Penny? We found the body of his co-worker in his apartment.” “Easy on the questions, Burke. She’s a victim, not a suspect.” “Right. Sorry,” detective Burke said. Ashe began sobbing uncontrollably. “Yes. I’m sorry. He said he killed those three guys because they were harassing a girl on the subway and beating him up. He told me he killed his mom because she lied to him his whole life and let her boyfriend abuse him. And he killed Randall because he thought he betrayed him. In Arthur’s diary there’s an entry that mentioned him being fired for bringing a gun to the kids hospital. It mentioned Hoyt told Arthur that Randall told Hoyt Arthur tried to buy a gun off him the week before. I’m sorry. I should’ve done something. I know one of you called. I wanted to call you back, I really did, but Arthur was right there. I was scared. I was worried he might snap completely. I’m sorry.” Ashe was still sobbing. “Ashe, it’s alright. You were being held against your will. You’re not in trouble. But we need to find Arthur, okay? Can you tell us where he was going?” It suddenly hit Ashe like a truck. “Oh, no. Murray! He said he was going on the Murray Franklin show tonight. Please, I have this feeling that something terrible will happen. You have to stop him!” Gary turned on the TV. It was too late. The news was already reporting Murray Franklin’s death. They said a clown named Joker shot him. Ashe knew who it was. She didn’t want to see it. She covered her face with the pillow. Gary and the detectives watched in horror. Ashe heard Arthur’s voice. “You get what you deserve!” She heard the gunshot and the screams of the audience. Arthur’s maniacal laughter was the last thing she heard before the reporter was back on the screen. “Thankfully, Joker has been apprehended and will be taken to Arkham State Hospital. Though we still advise everyone to keep their doors and windows locked to remain safe from the riots.” “It’s finally over.” Burke sighed in relief. Ashe didn’t feel the same way. Her gut told her it was far from over.

It had been almost a week since Arthur was taken to Arkham. During that time, he received two visitors. They wore clown masks to hide their faces. They considered themselves followers. On the night of the riot, they helped Arthur escape police custody before he was apprehended for the second time that night. “Listen, boys. I need you to do me a favor. There’s a girl asleep in my apartment. Her name is Ashe. I need someone to be there with her when she wakes up, and make sure she’s safe from harm. She has anxiety issues and a terrible fear of clowns. I planned on being back in time to get changed so she wouldn’t have to see me as a clown, but that’s not gonna happen so that’s why I need you. Do whatever you have to do to keep her safe, and make sure you’re not wearing those masks around her. Come to Arkham in a few days, and let me know how things are going, got it?” “Sure, boss.” It was time for them to give an update, and unfortunately they had bad news. “Looks like some fans if yours have come to visit,” the orderly said. Arthur sat there smoking his cigarette and shrugged, signaling to let them in. “So? How is she?” “Boss, we have bad news. We did everything you said, but when we got to your place, she was gone.” Arthur pressed down on the table so hard his knuckles were turning white. It made the two men nervous. Arthur relaxed his grip on the table and sighed. “I should’ve been more careful. The cops must have found her. I should’ve known they’d take my angel away from me. I need to get her back.” “Don’t worry, boss. We’ll find her. It might not be easy to break you out of here. They aren’t gonna let you walk out of here.” “Of course they won’t, but think of the fun we’re gonna have with them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think or if you have ideas for Arthur’s Joker. I’d appreciate it if you could share them with me :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here’s the next chapter. I appreciate your feedback on the previous chapter. This will be the first chapter that delves a little bit into Arthur post Arkham, and more what he would be like as the Joker. Hopefully it doesn’t stray too far from the brief glimpses we got from the movie. So here’s my idea: I’m thinking of writing Arthur with a multiple personality disorder. (Kind of) I think as Arthur slips into his Joker persona, he’s more likely to act on his negative impulses. He’s also more confident and would probably do things Arthur himself wouldn’t normally do. I think it makes him dangerous and unpredictable. He’ll do terrible things, and may or may not feel bad about them. I’d appreciate your feedback on my ideas as I post more chapters.

“So, what’s the plan boss?” “I never did get your names.” “Well, I’m Barry.” He looked over to the other masked man. “And I’m Sid.” Arthur finished smoking his cigarette and nodded. “Alright, boys. Now that we’ve been introduced, let’s get everything squared away. I have a session with a therapist today. It’s a great opportunity to make a break for it. They usually give her a security card to get inside. While I’m busy with her, I need you to take care of the security cameras. I’ll keep the orderlies busy. Wait for me outside and have the car ready to drive off. We’re gonna need a place. My apartment is out of the question.” “We have an abandoned warehouse. We still have money from we stole from banks during the riots. We can use it to get things we need. Food, medical supplies, pretty much anything,” Sid said. “You’ve thought of nearly everything, haven’t you? Now, we can think of getting Ashe back. It’s only been about a week since I was put here, and if she wasn’t in my apartment when you got there, she won’t be going back anytime soon.” He looked over to the clock. “You’ve got an understanding of the plan, right?” They nodded and left the cell. 

The therapist came in expecting a normal session. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t see what was coming. Arthur managed to grab her. He placed his cuffed hands around her neck and violently shoved her against the wall. She was unconscious. ‘At least she won’t suffer,’ he thought. He stomped on her head, repeatedly. He kept going until her skull cracked and blood seeped from it. He saw how brutal the act of violence was as she laid there covered in blood. He knelt down beside her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. It was so soft it barely came out. He took her security card and opened the door. He walked down the hallway, leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind him. When the orderlies saw him dancing, they chased after him to get him back in his cell. Arthur was reveling in the chaos. As he ran past one of them he quickly snatched the keys to the handcuffs from his pocket. Arthur put the keys in his pocket without either of the men noticing. He wished he could’ve played with them longer. He swiped the security card for the main entrance from one of the orderlies, and ran out the door. 

Barry started the car as Arthur jumped in. He took the keys out of his pocket and removed the handcuffs. “Drop me off at the warehouse. I’m sure the cops got rid of the drugs I had. I can’t risk being seen at the hospital. Some people have seen me without clown makeup. They’ll recognize me, so you’re gonna have to steal some sedatives for me. I doubt most people would care if they found out I escaped from Arkham, but you can never be too sure. I wouldn’t want to upset the rich assholes that might be around.” “Sure, but what do you need them for?” Sid asked. “What do you think?” It occurred to Sid that he had asked a stupid question. “Oh, right.” “I know it’s only a matter of time before we find Ashe, and they’ll come in handy.” When they made it to the warehouse, Arthur was impressed. He didn’t expect it to look so decent on the inside. In one of the storage rooms he found a large bed, a vanity, and a red suit that looked exactly like the one he wore on Murray’s show, among other things. “I think this is gonna be just fine, boys. Now skedaddle. See if anyone knows anything about Ashe. Her full name is Ashlyn Taylor. I’m gonna get settled in here and get cleaned up.” They left. Arthur felt extremely confident. He knew he would eventually find Ashe. He wasn’t concerned about what she would think if she saw him. ‘She understands why I did all those things. She wasn’t trying to run away from me. She wasn’t afraid of me, she was upset that I killed Randall in front of her. I’ll get her back. I have to. Who knows what kind of suggestions have been put in her head?’ He wondered what she would think if she saw him as the Joker. The time for that would come later. He needed to decompress and get some rest.

It had been a few days since Ashe was released from the hospital. She didn’t want to go back to her apartment right away given everything she’d been through. The detectives helped her out by paying for a hotel room for her. Gary had stopped by and spent some time with her. He brought some bottled wine and they had a few drinks. Both of them were having a rough time, so it helped to be able to talk to each other. It was beginning to turn into a friendship. Ashe barely slept for days. She kept having nightmares about Arthur. She avoided the news hours on TV, and the phone. She made sure the window and door was locked. She was paranoid. She didn’t leave the hotel for two days. She heard a knock at the door. She undid the first lock so the chain would prevent the door from opening all the way. “Hi, are you Ashlyn Taylor?” a female voice asked. “Yes. You can call me Ashe. Who are you?” “My name is Sandy Beamount. I’m from social services.” “Gotham has had cuts to social programs.” “I know. I suppose I should be more clear and say I used to be a social worker for low income residents in Gotham. Detectives Burke and Garrity are concerned about you, and they asked me to come talk to you. Do you have a minute?” Ashe let out a deep breath and let the woman in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this approach. I haven’t been sleeping well, and as a result, I’m not sure how this chapter turned out. I’d like to know if you have ideas for future chapters :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. Thanks again for all your feedback. I know I do that every chapter, but I really want you to know I’m thankful :)

Ashe closed and locked the door behind Sandy. “So what do you want to ask me about? Is it about Arthur?” “Actually, I came here to ask about you. I wanted to ask you about your experiences. The detectives wanted to ask you themselves, but given how you broke down at the hospital, they thought it would be easier for you if you talked to a woman. Think of it as a wellness check. Between everything you’ve been through and since the riots happened, I suspect you feel anxious. So before I ask you about your experiences with Arthur, I’ll ask you some general questions, okay?” Ashe nodded. “Have you been sleeping well?” “No. I only get about three hours of sleep each night.” “Have you been eating?” “Not really. I’ve eaten when they have breakfast downstairs, but aside from that, I don’t have an appetite.” “Do you feel safe?” Ashe hesitated. Sandy could tell the question made Ashe nervous. She was biting her nails. “No. No, I don’t. I feel like I’m being watched all the time. I feel like he’s there, waiting to pounce.” Sandy gave Ashe a sympathetic look. She knew Ashe had been through a lot, and she knew the next set of questions would be even more difficult for her.

“What can you tell me about Arthur?” “Well, he, uh...he, um...” She was trying to prevent herself from panicking. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “The first day I saw him I was on the subway. He started laughing uncontrollably, but kind of chocking at the same time, as if it was painful. The guy next to him got upset he thought Arthur was making fun of him. He tried to explain to the guy he had some kind of condition, but he knocked the card out of Arthur’s hand. That’s when I went over and stopped the situation from escalating. I gave the card back to him and we both left. When I read his diary, I found out he was following me. He found out we lived on the same floor, in the same building. In his notebook, he mentioned he thought I was a good person, that he had to have me. He mentioned how lonely he was and how mean everyone was to him. I admit I felt a bit sorry for him. But I was also unsettled. There were a bunch of pictures of naked women from magazines in it. He wrote about me obsessively. He said he loved me. And then I made it to entries about the guys he killed on the subway and his mom.” 

“What was his behavior like?” “He seemed to think we were already in a relationship. I noticed he wasn’t as shy and nervous as he was that day on the subway. The uncontrollable laughter seemed to have gone away, too. He was extremely overprotective. He put the knives out of my reach. He was afraid I would hurt myself.” “How did you eat?” “He made food himself.” Sandy sighed. She didn’t want to ask the next question. “Did he do anything sexual to you?” “No, not exactly.” “What do you mean?” “Well, at the time, I didn’t know it, but on the night I read his diary, I was about to call the police. But Arthur came back from buying cigarettes and I panicked. I felt something sharp poke my arm. When I woke up, I felt dizzy and got sick. He gave me a bath. I was too tired and dizzy, so I just let him do it. It wasn’t sexual. Looking back, it must’ve been the first time he drugged me. It was weird like he wanted to be a caregiver and have someone to love. I think because he was so starved of love and affection he has a very warped idea of what’s healthy.” “How did you find out he drugged you?” “I found out when the detectives told me in the hospital. He drugged me twice; on the night I read his diary, and again when I tried to jump out of the window after he killed Randall, his co-worker.” “Were you afraid he would hurt you?” “Yeah. Sometimes he would get this dark look in his eyes. It was like I was looking at a different person. And then when I found out about his mom and saw him kill Randall, it really scared me.” Ashe’s voice shook as she tried not to cry. “I saw how it didn’t bother him at all, that if he found a reason, he could kill anyone without any regard for them. If he could kill his mom, he can kill me without a second thought. Then I heard him on the Murray Franklin show. I didn’t see it. I’m afraid of clowns, so I hid my face with the pillow. I heard Arthur shout at Murray, and then he shot him. I heard him laughing. He was genuinely laughing. I’m so scared he’ll escape from Arkham. I’m scared he’ll be looking for me. Every time I close my eyes, he’s there. I see his face painted white and his green hair and I wake up with my heart pounding. I wish I never met him,” Ashe sobbed. “I’m sorry.” “It’s alright. We can stop there. I’ll see if I can get you a prescription for an anxiety medication to help you wind down and sleep better. I’ll call it in and we can pick it up, okay?” “Yeah.” Sandy felt so sorry for her. She had seen a lot of rough cases before, and she was glad Ashe hadn’t been through worse. It gave her chills thinking about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. Let me know what you think :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I had some time, so I wanted to post another chapter. This one is gonna have some violence in it. I was originally planning on saving it for another chapter, but I thought it would be a good time to show more of Arthur being more violent as the Joker. Just a warning it’s pretty brutal.

Barry and Sid arrived at the hospital. They decided not to wear their clown masks inside. They didn’t want to make anyone nervous or suspect them being involved in the riots. “We should ask about Ashe while we’re here. The boss said since she was drugged, the cops might have brought her here. We can’t forget the drugs.” “Yeah, I know, Barry. I was there,” Sid said, exasperated. Barry took the backpack out of the car. “Okay, so here’s the plan. First we ask about Ashe, then we quickly grab the drugs and head back.” They made their way inside and went over to the reception desk. “Hi, we’re here to ask about a girl. Her name is Ashlyn Taylor. Is she here?” “No, sorry. Name doesn’t sound familiar.” The receptionist didn’t sound the least bit interested. “Okay. Thanks anyway.” They began to make their way to the medical supplies. “Excuse me. Were you asking about Ashlyn Taylor?” They turned around and saw a woman with blonde hair. Going by what she was wearing, they knew she was a nurse. “Yeah. Is she here? We heard about what happened. Sure is awful, Ashe being drugged like that.” The nurse raised an eyebrow at Sid’s statement, and Barry nudged him sharply with his elbow. “We’re friends of hers. The police called us. They told us Ashe was drugged and brought here. We came to see how she’s feeling,” said Barry. “No. Sorry she was discharged a few days ago. I was on call the night she was brought in. It took her a few days to settle down. I could tell she had been through a lot. Poor thing.” “Do you know where she is now?” “I don’t think she went home. Because of the riots, I highly doubt the detectives would risk putting her in danger. I remember they mentioned putting her in a hotel for awhile. I don’t know which hotel, but I do know it’s further into town. You should probably ask the detectives about it.” “Thanks for the help,” Sid said. The nurse nodded and walked away. They made their way to the medical supplies.

“Alright, here’s the deal. You keep watch while I go in and get the drugs, got it?” “But Barry, I want to steal the drugs. You never let me do anything.” Barry rolled his eyes. “That’s because I gotta look after you. Now stay here.” Barry went in and opened all the cabinets. He took out all the sedatives from one of the drawers. He also grabbed some stitches, gauze, cotton swabs, pretty much everything he could think of in case there was an emergency. He quickly zipped up the backpack and left. They hurried to the car and drove off. “You know, Sid, you can be an idiot sometimes. You almost made that nurse suspicious. You’re lucky I promised mom I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, you know that?” Sid hung his head down, feeling guilty. “Look, just forget about it. The important thing is we didn’t get caught. Just try to think it through next time before you say something stupid, okay? Now, let’s head back to the boss. I’m sure he’ll be happy we have some news for him.”

Arthur took the time he had to himself to clean himself up. It turned out the boys already had some green dye and clown makeup in the vanity drawer. He dyed his hair first. Then he took a shower and shaved. He put on the makeup and the suit and he felt like himself again. ‘Those boys really do think of everything.’ He heard the large door open. “Well? Did you find any information about Ashe?” “Sort of. She was in the hospital a few days ago. The nurse told us the police put her in a hotel somewhere further into town.” “What about the drugs?” “Yeah, we got ‘em.” Barry handed the backpack to Arthur. He was happy with everything he found inside it. “Well then. I guess we’ll have to find her ourselves. Let’s go.” “But boss, you said you didn’t want to be recognized so soon.” “Yes, Barry, I did. But now I’m bored and I want to go out. So let’s go.”

As they made there way into the city, Arthur was delighted to see all the broken windows caused from the riots. The hellhole could burn for all he cared. He looked over and saw a young man. He was probably in his late teens to early twenties. A little boy was walking near the other boy. He shoved the little boy and snatched money from his hand. “Stop the car, boys. You see that guy over there? I want you to knock him out and we can take him somewhere no one will notice.” “What for?” “Well, Sid, let’s just say he’s about to get something his mother never gave him.” While the two men went after the young man, Arthur went over to the little boy and gave him some money. The boy thanked him and went on his way. Arthur got back in the car, and took the money from the unconscious boy. They drove to an isolated alley. Arthur found a crowbar in the trunk. Months ago, he wouldn’t have thought he would be capable of what he was about to do. The Joker was more than capable of it. 

Barry and Sid threw the boy on the ground and he woke up groaning. His face turned white when he recognized the clown grinning smugly at him. He knew something bad was about to happen. “I know you. You’re that clown...the one that killed Murray Franklin...Joker.” Arthur nodded. “Do you know why you’re here?” The boy shook his head. “You’re awful. I don’t like awful people. I know what you did. I saw it. Shoving kids and stealing from them. What the fuck is wrong with you? Didn’t your mother tell you not to steal from people? It’s not nice. I’m gonna do something about it. This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it hurts me.” He saw the crowbar in Arthur’s hand, and his eyes widened in fear. “I’m gonna need a minute with him alone, boys. Wait in the car until I call for you.” “W...what?” “That’s right. You’re gonna get the beating you deserve! I’m sure you’ve had this coming. I’ve wanted to do this to people like you for a very long time!” “No! W...wait!” Arthur hit him in the back and the boy cried out. He backhanded him with the crowbar and continued to hit him all across his body. He hit him so hard, he heard bones snap. He didn’t stop, he felt empowered. Arthur never felt like he had this much control in his life. It was exhilarating. He began to dance with each strike. His movements had elegance, almost like a ballerina. He occasionally gave a pirouette. Barry and Sid could hear some of it outside. The one distinct sound they heard was the boy crying out for his mother. “Rich mama’s boy,” they chuckled to each other. It was amusing to hear a nearly grown man cry for his mother. Arthur called for them to get the boy back in the car. Arthur told them to drive to the hospital. When they got there, they placed him at the front entrance to the emergency room. Arthur crouched down to him. “If I see you messing with kids again, I’ll rip your balls off and feed them to the rats. Understand?” The boy nodded. “Good boy.” Arthur got back in the car, and they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got this idea from the storyline in the Batman comics. There’s a moment when the Joker brutally beats Robin with a crowbar. It’s called A Death in the Family. For some reason, I can picture Arthur’s Joker doing that to someone, especially because he can be so violent when he hurts/kills someone. And because of the way he acted during the very last scene in the movie. If they ever adapt the A Death in the Family storyline, I think this Joker would be perfect. Let me know what you think. I appreciate feedback :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it’s taken so long to post a new chapter. Thanks so much for all the kudos. I’m only five away from 100. That’s amazing!

Arthur sat in the car reflecting on what he had just done. It was the first time he committed a brutal assault without killing someone. He didn’t regret it. He knew he could’ve killed the boy if he wanted to. Arthur wanted to teach him a lesson, he knew a concussion, a few broken ribs, a broken leg, and possibly a collapsed lung would give the boy plenty to think about lest he entertain the unwise idea of stealing from kids again. Arthur was proud of himself. He thought about the power he felt. For once, he was giving a violent beating. He thought about all the times he had been a victim of violence. He thought about all the beatings he suffered, and how there was nothing he could do to stop them. But now that he had that kind of power over someone else, he was killing two birds with one stone. He was giving the boy a chance to learn his lesson and become a better person, and he was getting revenge on all of the people who hurt him. It was thrilling for Arthur to see someone else terrified, to see the boy shaking and crying as he braced himself for each strike. He remembered the boy crying out for his mother. When Arthur was the victim, he wasn’t given that privilege. It agitated him. That boy shouldn’t have been able to have something Arthur never had, so he hit the boy one last time. If the boy’s coughing was anything to go by, his lung collapsed. Arthur smiled. He realized now that he was the Joker no one would hurt him anymore, and if anyone was stupid enough to try to hurt him or anyone else, there would be hell to pay. 

Sid noticed Arthur smiling. It unnerved him slightly. “Everything okay, boss?” “I’m fine. Why do you ask?” “Well...you haven’t said much since we left the hospital. I was worried something might be wrong.” “No. I’m fine, just doing some personal reflection.” Arthur took out a cigarette and began to smoke it. “Boss, do you want to start looking at hotels to see if we can find out where Ashe is staying?” Barry asked. “Why not? That’s what we were planning on doing anyway. I’ll stay in the car while you guys go inside and see if she’s staying there. We’ll keep looking until we find her. And even if she’s not staying in any of them, there’s only one place she would be. She’ll eventually have to go back anyway.” “Where’s that?” Arthur shook his head at Sid’s question. He put a hand on his shoulder. “Think about it. Where else would she be?” “You said she lived in the same building as you.” “Uh-huh.” “She would be in her apartment.” “You deserve a cookie. Too bad I don’t have one to give you,” Arthur said. “What should we do if we find her. Should we grab her right away?” “No. Not yet. She’s probably been through a lot. She’ll need time. I don’t want to be that quick about it. It would be too much for her. For now, we need to find her.”

Ashe and Sandy were about to leave to go pick up her medication when they heard a knock at the door. It was Gary. “Hey, Gary. Now isn’t the best time to hang out. I’m sorry.” “No worries. I can come back later. Who is this?” “I’m Sandy Beamont. I used to be a social worker for low income residents in Gotham. The detectives asked me to check on Ashe since she was having such a hard time at the hospital.” “We’re going to the pharmacy to pick up some medication. You came all this way. You can come with us if you want.” “Sure. I don’t have anywhere else to be.” As they were about to leave, the phone rang. Ashe picked it up. It was a call from the front desk informing her that all of her nights have been paid for and she needed to check out. “Okay...thank you.” She hung up. “What’s wrong?” “No, no, no. I can’t go back there. I can’t.” “What happened?” Gary asked, concerned. “It was the front desk. They told me I need to check out in the morning.” “I’m sorry, Ashe. Truly.” “You know what? It’s fine. I’ll just have to be more afraid Arthur will find me than I already am. I was at least safe here for awhile longer than I would be if I was in my apartment.” Sandy wanted to say something to help Ashe, but she thought it would only make her feel worse since she was already stressed. “Let’s go get the medicine.” Even though Ashe had two people with her, she still felt like she was being watched. The walk to the pharmacy felt like an eternity. She was constantly looking over her shoulder expecting to see Arthur. “Ashe, no one is following us. You safe, I promise you,” Sandy said. They finally made it to the pharmacy and went inside. “Hi, I’m Ashlyn Taylor. I’m here to pick up a prescription for anxiety medication.” The pharmacist gave her the bottle. “You can take one as you need to every few hours, but it’s preferable you take them at night before bed, as they will make you drowsy. You’re prescription is good for a few months. Come back here when you need a refill.” “Thanks.” They left and we’re getting ready to go back to the hotel. “I can’t go home. I don’t want to. That’s the first place Arthur will look.” “Ashe, love, I know this is hard for you. Believe me, I do. I haven’t had a good sleep since that day. But you can’t stay at the hotel forever. You have to go home eventually. Arthur is locked up in Arkham. He’s probably on one of the floors with a lot of security, one that only authorized personnel are allowed to be on. I highly doubt he’ll be getting out anytime soon.” “Maybe you’re right. Thanks, Gary.” 

It had been several hours since they began checking hotels. Arthur told Barry and Sid to call it quits for the day, until they passed a hotel and he saw someone he recognized. “Wait! That’s her!” It was Ashe. “Stop the car. I’m getting out.” “But-“ “Now!” Arthur crept up to get a closer look. He saw that Ashe was with Gary and a woman he didn’t recognize. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. We’ll come by in the morning and help you get settled in your apartment,” the woman said. “Alright.” Ashe shook the woman’s hand and hugged Gary. It would have infuriated Arthur if she was hugging another man, but Gary was always nice to Arthur and he knew Gary would never try to take Ashe from him. So he was fine with her and Gary being friends. Arthur got back in the car. “We’re done for the day, boys. I know exactly where she’ll be. I think I can follow her on my own from now on. “You sure you don’t need our help?” “I appreciate you asking, Barry, but no. I need you to stick around and start setting things up. This could take awhile. I already have an idea of how things will play out. Tomorrow brings us one step closer together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the stalking begins. Let me know what you think I always appreciate your feedback :)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Next chapter.

Arthur and the guys went back to the warehouse. He was so happy he found Ashe. He had begun to worry she wasn’t safe, but thanks to Gary and the woman he and Ashe were with, he was glad she was safe. He was excited they would be together again. Soon the euphoria had left him. He realized Ashe had never seen him in full clown makeup, never seen him as Joker. ‘How will she react? I’m sure she knows about what I did by now. I don’t want to scare her, but this is who I am now. I still don’t know how to feel about Murray. I was so devastated that a man I considered a father figure invited me on the show just to make fun of me. And then when I told him about killing those guys on the subway, and about the callousness of Gotham, he sided with them. He got what he deserved. He was awful, like most people in Gotham. I just broke down emotionally. I couldn’t take it anymore. After I shot him, I was scared at first. I couldn’t believe I did it. But I also felt alive. I was free. Ashe is the only person I trust. She warned me not to go on the show, she didn’t want to see me get hurt. I should’ve listened to her. It doesn’t matter. She knows I did it for a reason.’ Arthur felt like he could finally wind down. He began to doze off.

Sometime later, the guys came out of one of the rooms. “Boss, do you have a plan in mind?” “No, not really. I’m just gonna go with the flow. I’ve done this before. It’ll be fine. The best part is, I won’t have to follow her for weeks since I have all the information I need to know. I just need to wait until the right time.” Arthur got up and took another look around. He found the drugs and medical supplies neatly put away in the drawers. He was impressed with how organized everything was. He thought it would be comfortable for Ashe. He went back over to the couch. “I like the way everything is set up. While I’m out and about, you can get anything else we need. It should only take a few days. I’m heading out early tomorrow. Make sure you come back once you have everything. I’m heading off to bed.”

Ashe couldn’t sleep. She stayed up all night. She had no idea how she could go back to living her life like nothing happened. ‘I really don’t want to go back. How am I supposed to go back to work and do my job when I feel like I have to be looking over my shoulder at all times? I’m not crazy. Even if he is still locked away in Arkham, the first thing he’ll do when he gets out is come around looking for me. Shit. He was already unstable, and I could tell just by listening he completely lost it after he killed Murray. How do I know he won’t kill me? He had delusions about us being in a relationship, he thought we were in love. I really don’t want to think about other delusions he may have had about me or his imaginary relationship with me. Thank God for Gary. He’s such a good man. I hate that we both had to see someone killed right in front of us, but I think what’s happened after that has been a blessing. I don’t know where I would be if we didn’t have each other to talk to and get through this.’ She rubbed her eyes and went to take a shower. 

As promised, Gary and Sandy showed up a few hours later. “We can take the subway to get there faster.” “Yeah, Gary. That’s a good idea. I just want to get this over with.” Ashe’s nerves were on edge the entire time. They finally made it to the apartment building, and Ashe thought she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. When she turned around to see who it was, they were gone. “I can’t do this. I can’t fucking do this.” “Yes you can. You made it this far. We’ll be with you every step of the way. We promise.” “Okay.” They went inside the building, and Ashe found an envelope at her doorway. It was a key to open the door with a note from her landlord informing her she wouldn’t be charged for the new key. She was thankful for the small favor. She went inside. Everything was as she had left it. When she went inside her room a chill went up her spine when she saw her closet and drawers weren’t empty. Someone had gone inside Arthur’s apartment and brought all of her clothes back. ‘It was probably the detectives. Nothing to worry about.’ Once Gary and Sandy finished getting her settled in they told her she could call anytime. She thanked them and they left. She went to her bedroom, turned on the TV and fell asleep.

Ashe woke up to a noise outside. When she looked out her window, she saw Arthur. She quickly closed the curtains and called the police. “911. What is your emergency?” “There’s a man standing outside watching me through the window. His name is Arthur. He’s obsessed with me.” “Is he still there?” She opened the curtains. “No, but I know he’s around here somewhere.” She heard a noise. “Shit. I think he’s trying to break in. Please, can you help me?” Ashe was trying to keep calm. “Ma’m, we’re doing everything we can.” She heard a noise, it was louder than before. “Please, you have to do something. He’s gonna hurt me.” Ashe was panicking. She was sobbing and she hated herself for it. “Try to find a place to hide, okay? Stay calm-“ the phone line was cut. “Hello? Hello?” She quickly hung up the phone and hid in the closet. She heard a noise that was much closer. He was inside the apartment. She heard footsteps getting closer. “Ashe, baby, are you in there?” The tone of voice wasn’t as soft and timid like the one she was familiar with. No, this one was much more playful, like he knew where she was. He was taunting her. He opened the closet door. “Found you.” Arthur grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss. “Wanna hear a joke?” That was when she woke up in a cold sweat. She was relieved when she didn’t see Arthur anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think:)


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Thanks for all the support. I can’t believe this has over 100 kudos! I hope you like where the story is going.

Ashe went to check the window to make sure it was locked. She also went to check her door. It still barely held the lock. While she did get a new key, the lock wasn’t fixed while she was gone. She wondered why she even bothered locking the door in the first place. She thought it would at least give her some peace of mind. At least her window locked properly, it was one less thing Arthur could use to get inside. She couldn’t go back to sleep. She decided to call Gary. She felt bad for calling him in the middle of the night, but she knew he would understand. “Hello?” “Gary, It...it’s me. I know it’s really late, but...” “Ashe? What happened?” “I fell asleep. It was Arthur. I saw him outside my window. He came in and...and...” “Love, it was a nightmare. You’re alright.” “But it was so real. I know he’s out there, Gary. He has to be.” Gary was very familiar with the panic that came after a nightmare. He had his fair share of them, too. “Ashe, listen. Take a deep breath and count to ten.” It took awhile, but it seemed to help Ashe calm down. “Better?” “Yeah.” “Arthur is locked away in Arkham. He can’t get to you. You’re safe, I promise. Take it easy and try to get some sleep, alright?” “Y-yeah. Thanks, Gary.” “You’re welcome. We’ll talk again soon.” She hung up the phone. She knew she wouldn’t sleep and she needed to be at work in three hours so she just waited until it was time to leave.

Ashe left and used the subway to get to work as she normally did. She constantly checked her surroundings to see if she was being followed. So far, there was no sign of Arthur. Her nerves started to calm a bit as she took her seat. As she leaned back, she saw something out of her seat window. She turned her head to see what it was, her heart began to race. ‘Oh, no. I’m not seeing that! No, no, no!’ There was a clown standing on the platform, smiling at her. She froze from fear. He was wearing a maroon suit, his green hair was slicked back. His face was painted white, his mouth painted red to look like an exaggerated smile. The same red paint was used on his nose and he had painted red eyebrows on his forehead. He had blue painted triangles above and below his eyes. What really scared her about the clown wasn’t just his appearance, she remembered he was the same clown she saw in her nightmare when she first heard about the clown that killed the Wall Street guys. “Are you okay?” A woman next to her asked. “Don’t you see him?” “Who?” “Outside my window. There’s a...a...c-clown.” The woman looked out the window. “There’s no one there now.” “B-but I saw him.” “Well, whoever he was, he’s gone now.” Ashe looked out her window. He was gone. ‘Am I losing my fucking mind?’ She finally made it to work.

The whole day seemed to drag on. She was jittery. The news was on the TV in the lobby. “Two people have been sent to the hospital. One of them is a therapist. She was working with a patient in Arkham. She suffered blunt force trauma to the head. She is stable, but in critical condition. The other is a nineteen year old college student. A nurse found him at the ER enterance. He had three broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken leg, and a concussion. He is stable and is currently resting. Police are hoping to question the two victims and find out who was responsible for the attacks. We advise everyone to practice basic safety measures when going out, especially at night.” Ashe’s blood ran cold. ‘Who would viscously attack people like that? They could’ve died. Hopefully they’ll be okay. Why does Gotham have to be so fucked up?’ Ashe shook her head and went home for the day. She was hoping to get some sleep. She was thankful she didn’t see the clown on her way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I hope you’re still enjoying the story. This chapter will be talking about things from Arthur’s point of view, but written in third person like the others. I thought it might be interesting to write about him following Ashe as the Joker.

Arthur got up early on the morning Ashe was returning to her apartment. He needed enough time to get ready. He realized Ashe’s clothes were still at his apartment, which meant she wouldn’t have any clean clothes to wear. He would need to sneak into his apartment, get her clothes, and return them to Ashe’s apartment. He showered put on his makeup and was about to leave. “Boss?” “What is it, Sid? Why are you up so early?” “We thought you wanted us to be up at the same time as you. Besides, you look like you’re in a hurry.” “Well, now that you mention it, I might need your help after all. At least for this morning. Ashe won’t have any clean clothes to wear at her place or here. I completely forgot they’re still in my apartment. I need both of you to help me get them from my place to hers. We should bring some of her clothes here, too. If we leave now, we should have enough time to get everything done before she makes it to the building.” Arthur found his Arkham uniform. He was frantically searching it. “I know it’s in here.” He found what he was looking for in one of the pockets of the pants. “Here it is. I knew holding onto this would come in handy!” It was the key to his apartment. “What’s that for?” “Let’s just say in case you boys managed to get caught, I held onto this as a plan B. They let me keep it since it was useless for any of the cell locks. They didn’t know it was the key to my apartment, so they weren’t worried about letting me keep it. I needed to come up with another idea to get out of Arkham and lay low at some point. I wasn’t gonna let myself be locked up in there forever. It’s not the first time I’ve managed to sneak out of there.” The two men looked at each other surprised, and they were also afraid. “Let’s go.” 

They made it to the apartment and were about to go inside. “Are you sure about this? Somebody might see us.” “I’m not worried. The landlord isn’t around this early. If anyone sees me, there’s a good chance they’ll be too afraid to do anything or they won’t care. And even if some rich person is stupid enough to get in the way, I came prepared.” He patted his pocket, referring to the gun. “Oh...okay, then.” It made Sid slightly uneasy. They were aware Arthur had hurt a few people, but they never saw him do it, and they never saw him kill anyone either. They weren’t sure how to handle the fact that he had talked about shooting someone as if it would be the easiest thing in the world for him. They could rob banks, hurt people, help with a kidnapping, but seeing or being involved in murder was on a completely different level for them. “You’re both wearing your masks, so no one will know who you are anyway.” They got out of the elevator and went down the hall to Arthur’s apartment. 

Arthur opened the door and they went inside. It had been left as a crime scene. “They removed Randall’s body and cleaned up all the mess. That’s nice of them. My room is down the hall. I’ll go in the bathroom and take a few things back to Ashe’s place. Barry, you can come with me and help me put her clothes back.” Arthur went inside the bathroom and grabbed the body wash. He’d have to come back for everything else. Barry went with him to Ashe’s apartment. He was carrying a bunch of outfits. He found some trash bags to put them in. It was still very easy to get inside. Arthur was happy the lock still wasn’t replaced with a new one. Everything was still the same on the inside. Nothing had been touched since he broke inside the first time. He went inside the bathroom and put the body wash back where she had it. She had an extra toothbrush in the holder. He didn’t see a reason to steal both of them when he was bringing her stuff to his apartment. He looked under the sink and he found an unopened bottle of shampoo and conditioner. He was happy he didn’t have to do as much work as he thought he would. Barry was putting all the clothes in her drawers and in the closet. “That’s almost everything. She has a lot of clothes. Some of these are in kids sizes. Is she really that small, boss?” “Well, you saw her yesterday.” “Yeah, but she was further away. I didn’t get a good look at her.” “Why does it matter if she has a lot of clothes?” “It doesn’t. It’s just...I didn’t expect someone living in Gotham to have so much.” “She’s barely five feet tall. She’s probably had a lot of these clothes since she was younger. And kids clothes are cheaper than other sizes. It saves money. She’s not rich. If she was, she wouldn’t be living in this city, now would she?” “No. She wouldn’t.” “Looks like we’re done here. Let’s get the rest of the stuff and head back.” Barry nodded. They went back to Arthur’s apartment. “We have everything put back in place. The rest of the clothes and everything else is going back with us.” They put everything in trash bags and left. As they were coming down the stairs outside, they saw Ashe, Gary and Sandy approaching the building. “Shit! We better hurry before they see us!” They stopped in front of the building. “Now is our chance. Hurry before she turns around!” Arthur whispered. She was right there. Just a few feet away from him. Sid and Barry were carrying all the bags. Arthur’s hands were free. All he had to do was move a little closer and grab her. It would be easy. She wouldn’t be able to fight him off. But he wouldn’t be fast enough to avoid catching Gary and the other woman’s attention. ‘It’s too risky. That’s just fine. What’s the harm in waiting a little longer?’ He managed to sneak away before Ashe turned around. He just barely managed to avoid being seen. ‘That was a close one! I can try again tomorrow.’ 

Arthur got up the next morning to follow Ashe to work. He grabbed a sedative and left. He knew Ashe would be taking the subway to work, so he went there and waited. What he didn’t count on however, was all the people intending to use it that particular morning. He didn’t see her anywhere. ‘Why does it have to be so crowded today?’ She sat right in his field of view. When she looked out her seat window and saw him, he noticed she was panicking. It hurt him. ‘Why is she afraid? She should be happy, not scared.’ He moved and went on a different car. ‘It’s not me she’s afraid of. She doesn’t like clowns. She hasn’t seen me as Joker. She doesn’t know it’s me. That’s right. She was still sedated when I shot Murray, so she wouldn’t have seen me. I should’ve been more careful. I didn’t mean to scare her. She’ll be okay once she knows it’s me.’ 

When he went inside the building, he overheard a coworker ask her to go downstairs to the basement. He hadn’t gone inside the building until now. He was getting more bold, more confident in his actions. He didn’t think he would ever go this far compared to the first time he “rescued” her. But something was compelling him to do it. He was able to sneak by without being seen. He never thought he’d see the day when being unnoticed would be an advantage for him. He took the stairs to the basement and hid. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Just as he grabbed a towel he found on one of the shelves and was about to put it over her head to muffle any screams she might have made, Ashe’s boss came down. Arthur made himself scarce. Her boss said she should take a few days off to rest, since she had been through so much. At least she had a caring boss. Good bosses were rare in Gotham. Arthur went back upstairs and ran out of the building. ‘Damn it! I almost had her. I was so close. I don’t want this to be too traumatic for her, but I don’t have a choice. I need to make my move fast.’ After giving it some thought, he knew what to do. ‘It won’t be easy for her, but it’s for her own good.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arthur is starting to become more unstable in his obsession with Ashe. Things are about to get intense. Let me know what you think :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you’re all doing okay with the pandemic. It sure is eerie in my town. I haven’t seen anyone out. It’s like a ghost town. It’s a scary, uncertain time for sure. On that note, I’ve decided to get the next chapter posted. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I don’t have a proof reader, and it takes me awhile to write these chapters. So I post my chapters and then edit them. It’s just easier that way. Also, I’ve been thinking more about Arthur’s dark side. I’ve delved into some of it already, but I’m just not sure where to set a limit. I could just go with ideas I already have, and you can let me know what you think as we go along. I’d appreciate input if you have any. Thanks so much to Sandra and KiraCat for the comments. I haven’t been getting much feedback and I was starting to get discouraged. I’m glad you still like the story. Okay, on with the chapter. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!

Ashe felt a huge wave of anxiety the whole day. She was relieved she didn’t see the clown on her way home. At the same time, she was beginning to wonder if it was all in her head. Even though she was alone the whole time, she still felt the need to constantly check her surroundings. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being followed. She felt a little safer now that she was home. ‘I’m so grateful for my boss. He’s always been nice to all of us. I wasn’t expecting him to be so understanding about everything. I guess working at a small printing shop isn’t so bad. I’m happy I have a job and a good boss. A lot of people have had a hard time finding work in this city. I feel sorry for them. I also feel guilty for being lucky. If they could find jobs that payed them decent wages, maybe the riots wouldn’t have happened. If I could agree with Arthur on one thing, it’s that Gotham is definitely a shit hole. And yeah, there are uncaring people here. Some of them are shit heads, but there are also good people here, too. I’m really glad none of the ones I know were hurt. They wouldn’t have deserved it. I wish I could do something for the city’s less fortunate residents. Something besides giving them food. I know it’s my caring nature that makes me more likely to get into trouble, but I won’t stop trying to be a good person. I just wish it didn’t lead me to Arthur. If I had just ignored everything on the subway that day, then maybe...’ She began to tear up. She wiped her eyes, and decided to take a shower. She took the extra bottles of shampoo, and conditioner out from under the sink, and she took the spare bottle of body wash out of the small drawer. She put everything on the side of the tub, and she froze when she saw what was on the other side. ‘That’s the bottle of body wash I was using at Arthur’s place. How did it get here? Oh, right. The detectives must’ve brought it with my clothes. Silly me. I have nothing to worry about. Arthur’s in Arkham. It’s fine. I’ll just call Sandy and ask for their number so I can call them and thank them.’ She calmed down and took a long shower. It felt really nice to her. She felt dirty for some reason, like she hadn’t showered in days. She finished up, dressed herself in a long, pink t-shirt and a comfortable pair of lounge pants.

Ashe went over to the phone and called Sandy. It rang a few times before she picked up. “Hello?” “Sandy, it’s Ashe.” “Oh, hi, Ashe. I was about to call you since it’s been a few days. Did you want to talk about anything?” “Well, yeah, I do. It’s about Arthur and other things. As you can probably guess, I’m still not doing well. I keep having nightmares. They’re about Arthur, but he’s different.” “What do you mean?” “Well he acted different than he did when we were in his apartment. Arthur always seemed shy and timid, like he wanted to do things but was afraid to act on them. But in the dreams he was a lot more confident and bold, almost like a completely different person. He seemed like he was more likely to act on his impulses, and could care less about the consequences. I can’t shake the feeling I’m not entirely safe.” “It’s probably your PTSD manifesting itself in your dreams. It’s going to take time to heal.” “I’m not so sure, Sandy. There’s always been something about him that’s wolffish.” “Wolffish? What do you mean?” “Well by looking at him, you would assume he’s extremely weak because he’s so thin. But he isn’t weak. He’s a lot stronger than he looks, and he’s no criminal mastermind, but he’s not dumb. Like a starving wolf, he’s very thin and looks weak, but he’s not. There’s something wild in him, untamed and waiting to pounce. A starving wolf is still dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous than a well-fed wolf. Also, I saw a clown on my way to work today.” “A lot of people work as clowns, Ashe. Gary does.” “Yeah, but this one smiled at me like he knew me.” “He was probably just being friendly.” “Yeah, maybe. Hey, do you have the numbers for the detectives?” “I have Detective Garrity’s number. Why? Do you need something?” “I just wanted to thank him for everything.” “Okay, sure.” Sandy gave her the number and they hung up.

Ashe called as soon as Sandy hung up. “Yeah, this is Garrity.” “Hey Detective Garrity, it’s Ashe. I’m the girl who was kidnapped by Arthur Fleck.” “Yeah, I remember. Sandy shared her notes with me about you. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I know it must be hard for you. I’m actually helping investigate two brutal assaults. I don’t know if you’ve heard about them.” “Yeah, I did. It’s awful.” “Yeah. We still don’t know who did it.” “I don’t want to keep you. I just wanted to thank you for everything.” “Sure.” “It was really nice of you to bring my clothes and other things back to my apartment.” There was a long pause. “Ashe, has anything strange happened the last few days?” “I saw a clown this morning.” “A clown? Can you describe it to me?” He felt a chill run down his spine. The description Ashe gave him matched exactly how Arthur looked the night he shot Murray Franklin. It occurred to him Arthur escaped from Arkham and was responsible for the assaults. “Ashe, is everything locked can anyone get in?” “Yeah, why?” “I don’t know how to say this, but we never went inside your apartment. We didn’t return your things. Someone else did.” “I don’t understand. You know I live on Anderson Avenue.” “Yeah, but we never went into your apartment.” “If it wasn’t you, then who?” Ashe felt panic when she realized who it could’ve been. ‘Oh, no...no. No, not him, please no. It can’t be him. He’s locked away in Arkham.’ But it all made sense. The day she came back to her apartment, it must’ve been Arthur she saw out of the corner of her eye. He brought everything back to her apartment and was leaving as she, Gary, and Sandy were coming to the building. Then there were the two assaults, one of the victims worked at Arkham. Then she saw the clown on her way to work. ‘Fuck! All this time he was following me. I thought it was in my head. I know it’s only a matter of time. What the fuck am I supposed to do?!’ “Detective, I think Arthur is out there looking for me. Can you please send someone out here?” Detective Garrity felt a huge pang of guilt wash over him. “No. I can’t a lot of our officers were hurt during the riots and we’re understaffed. I’m sorry. The soonest we can get someone out there would be in the morning.” “I don’t know if I have that long.” “I’m sorry. Just keep everything locked. I’ll try to send someone over in the morning. Try to hang in there. And make sure you check to see who’s at the door before you let them in, okay?” “Okay...” Ashe hung up and was trying to keep herself calm. She turned on the TV took her meds, and finally went to sleep.

Arthur waited for hours. He sat there, hiding in her closet. He didn’t mind. He knew what the payoff would be. He knew the police department was understaffed and the majority of them didn’t give a shit. He was in the clear. He was craving a cigarette, but he couldn’t smoke one. It would give him away. That was the worst part. Not to mention he forgot about the chemical soaked rag in his pocket. ‘It was nice of Barry to give me this, but now I smell like all that stuff under sink. Who knows where he even got this stuff anyway? He did say it would be easier to sedate her since she wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight. Whatever makes it easier, I guess.’ When she was asleep, he made his way over to the bed. She woke up and screamed when she saw him. He put the rag over her nose and mouth, so she would inhale the substance. He held it more firmly against her than he meant to. He was trying to keep her from moving her face away from the rag, and muffle her screams so no one on the upper floors would hear her. Arthur’s hold was so firm, it caused Ashe’s jaw to hurt. She kept screaming. She smelled harsh chemicals, and her throat burned. She managed to fight him off long enough to get the rag away from her face. She took deep breaths to try and relieve the burning in her lungs. She felt like she was suffocating. Feeling lightheaded, she got off the bed and tried to make it to her window so she could climb out and escape. She moved too fast, and fell down, coughing violently. She tried to get back up, but Arthur grabbed her from behind and injected her with the sedative. He felt so guilty about what he did. He wanted to tell her it was him. He knew she didn’t recognize him. He knew she was scared. How could he blame her? It hurt him, but it had to be done. After a few more seconds of holding Ashe, as she struggled like a wounded animal trying to break free from his grip, she finally passed out. Arthur put her on the bed. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. “It’s me. I got her. Meet me outside.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think :)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much for the feedback. I can’t believe this has 111 kudos! It’s amazing!

Arthur hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He looked over to Ashe, she was still passed out on her bed. He went over to her. He still felt guilty about what he did. But he didn’t have time to hold her near him like he wanted to. The boys would be there in a little while and he needed to be outside waiting for them. He was careful as he lifted her from her bed and covered her in her comforter. The night air was chilly and he wanted to make sure she was warm. He made sure she was tightly wrapped in it before leaving the apartment, carrying her in his arms. He wasn’t worried about getting caught. No one would be out and about that late at night. He smiled to himself, happy that he was going to get away with it. There weren’t any reports about his escape from Arkham yet. ‘The police in this city really are a joke.’ 

He only needed to wait outside for a few minutes before Sid and Barry showed up. When they pulled up, Arthur ducked with Ashe in his arms, careful not to drop her as he got in. “Everything go okay, boss?” “Yeah. I just wish I didn’t have to do that. I knew I had to, it was the only thing I could do.” “She’ll be okay when she wakes up. She just needs to rest for a little while.” “Do you think she’ll be afraid of us, Barry? We probably shouldn’t wear our clown masks in front of her.” “I wouldn’t worry about it, Sid. We won’t need to hide our faces from her since she’ll be at the warehouse with all of us.” “I guess you’re right. Boss, why is she wrapped in a comforter? Is she...hurt?” “What? No, of course not! It’s her comforter, and I wrapped her in it to keep her warm. What makes you think she’s hurt?” “Nothing. I just noticed she’s very still.” “She’s fine, Sid.” No one said anything for the rest of the way back to the warehouse.

They made it back to the warehouse and Arthur was still extremely careful as he carried her inside. He placed her on the bed and told the boys to watch her while he went to get cleaned up. “Barry, what did you do?” “It’s no big deal, Sid. I just gave the boss a rag soaked in chemicals to help subdue Ashe so he could sedate her more easily.” “Are you out of your mind? What if the chemicals in addition to the sedative killed her? We got extremely lucky, you know? If anything happens to her, we’re rat food.” “Look, Sid. It’s gonna be fine.” “Yeah for now. But how do we know things will stay fine? If the cops catch us, we could be accessories to murder and kidnapping! That therapist he told us about back in Arkham is probably dead. You saw the blood on his feet. And you know he messed up that guy pretty bad. And now we helped kidnap a girl. I wish we didn’t get involved with this mess. I wish we were still working at the shelter.” “I know things haven’t been easy, but what were we supposed to do? Mom got sick and we had to find a way to take care of ourselves. If we didn’t find Joker when we did, we’d be homeless, jobless, and starving.” “Yeah, but...” Sid’s train of thought was broken when he saw Ashe wake up.

Ashe woke up feeling groggy. She felt lightheaded. The room she was in didn’t look familiar. She saw two men looking at her. One of them left the room. “Who...who are you? Where am I? Please...don’t hurt me.” “It’s alright. We’re not gonna hurt you. You’re safe.” The other man came back with a glass of water. “Here. Drink this. Sip it slowly.” “Th...thanks, but...you didn’t answer my question. Who are you?” “Oh, right. I’m Sid and the guy who just gave you water is Barry. We were watching you to make sure you’re okay while the boss gets cleaned up.” “The boss? I don’t understand.” “He wants to keep you safe. We’ll go tell him you’re awake.” “Wait...” They left before she could say anything else.

Ashe’s mind was still foggy. She was having trouble making sense of everything. It didn’t help she was still feeling lightheaded. The door opened and she was horrified when she saw the clown in that same suit that was in her bedroom. Her back hit the headboard as she tried to get away. “Stay away. Don’t...” She didn’t remember who he was at first. She fell off the bed trying to get away from him. He was by her side in no time. ‘He’s fast.’ He was so fast, it startled her. He put his arms around her and held her against him. She felt his ribs poking at her back. She hated having him behind her. She felt trapped, like she was prey and he was a wolf that was about to bite her jugular and kill her. “Please don’t hurt me.” She was holding back a sob. “I’m not gonna hurt you. You’re safe now. No one will bother us anymore.” ‘Us? What the hell is he talking about? Who is he? Oh. Wait a fucking minute.’ It was then that she remembered everything and put the pieces together. His soft voice and quick step brought her out of her daze and confusion. She knew it was Arthur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it. Let me know what you think :)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Here’s the next chapter.

Ashe was terrified. The man she was trying to move on from had managed to kidnap her again, and this time it was even worse. He was in full clown makeup. His face brought back the memories of her unpleasant experience with clowns when she was very young. They got up close to her, she was crying and screaming for her mother. She froze. Arthur was concerned. She wasn’t saying anything. “Ashe, are you okay?” She snapped out of it, but quickly realized who she was with and tried getting out of his grasp. She bared her feet into the floor and moved her torso to try and break free, but Arthur wouldn’t budge. She continued to thrash around. “Let go! Don’t touch me! Please. Just let me go!” She was hyperventilating began to tear up. ‘No. I’m not gonna cry. I won’t do it. I won’t let him see me like this.’ 

Arthur put his hand on the sleeve of her oversized t-shirt. ‘What’s he doing? Why can’t he just leave me alone?’ “Let me fix it.” That was when the tears started falling. ‘God, I’m fucking pathetic!’ Ashe tried to break free again, but Arthur pulled her closer to him. He was completely wrapped around her now. She angrily cried out, scared and frustrated. “Ashe, relax. Just breathe, baby.” It always surprised her how calming his voice was. Had he not killed or hurt anyone, she wouldn’t have thought he was dangerous. She would have found herself soothed by him if it was a normal situation.

She managed to slow her breathing and calm down. “It’s not good to work yourself up. I promise you’re safe. It’s me, Arthur. Well, Joker now, but you can call me Arthur.” ‘He doesn’t know I know it’s him.’ She began to feel extremely tired. “Arthur.” He nodded. “But weren’t you locked up in Arkham?” “Mmm-hmm. I was able to get out of there thanks to the boys. I missed you. I was so relieved when I found out you weren’t hurt. I needed to find you and keep you safe. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you.” Ashe swallowed, not wanting to think about what he was implying, but she still had a pretty good idea what it was.

Arthur felt euphoric. He wasn’t sure if he had ever felt that way before. It was a wonderful feeling. “We don’t have to worry about that anymore. Everyone in Gotham knows who I am. You should have seen it, Ashe. The boys got me out of that police car and everyone was cheering for me. If I ask any of them to do anything for me, they will. I’ll get us everything we need to be happy together. No one will bother us. No cops, no rich assholes, nobody.” He moved her head so she was forced to look at him. She barely managed not to push him away. “And if anyone is dumb enough to try and take you away from me, then they’ll get what they deserve.” Ashe felt like she was going to vomit.

“But what about the police? People will find out I’m missing. What if they come looking for me?” Arthur stood up and lifted her with him. She wasn’t looking at him. She didn’t want to. He put her on the bed and sat down on it. “Aw, you’re so cute. What makes you think they’ll care?” “But what did you do? I don’t understand why are you-?” “Shhh. Everything will be fine. You should get some more sleep.” Ashe wanted to fight him off, but she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. Arthur rocked her back and forth until she finally fell asleep. He got off the bed and closed the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’re still enjoying the story. Let me know what you think.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Thanks so much for the 123 kudos. I honestly can’t believe it’s gotten that many. I’m so glad you still like the story. Things might get a bit darker with Arthur from here on out, but I’m still not quite sure how dark I want to go. I’m happy you were happy to see Arthur’s dark side coming out in the last chapter. In this chapter Arthur will be more unstable, and not entirely understanding why his actions are so unsettling for Ashe. I hope you like this one let me know what you think :)

Arthur decided to let Ashe get more sleep. “Did everything go okay? Is she okay?” “She’s a little out of it, but she’ll be fine when she wakes up. You boys really have come in handy. I don’t know if I would’ve gotten this far without you. As long as you do as I say, you’ll have a place to live, among other things.” “That’s fine with us, boss. What do we do now?” Arthur took out a cigarette and began to smoke. It seemed like forever since he had one. He closed his eyes in satisfaction when he took the first drag. “That’s better,” he sighed to himself. “Um, boss?” “Hmm? Oh, right. I don’t really need you to do anything right now. We have money so we don’t need to rob a bank. You already took care of that.” They both nodded. “I guess you can wait until I call for you. I’ll check on her in a bit.”

Ashe had been asleep for a few hours. She finally woke up. ‘Where am I? What is this place?’ She didn’t remember where she was at first. Her mind was still foggy. ‘This place looks like some kind of warehouse or an old shelter. That’s right. Arthur and those guys brought me here. I was in my bed asleep and a clown was standing over me. Arthur drugged me again. That has to be why I felt dizzy earlier. Everything else is kind of a blur. Is this Arthur’s hideout? How the fuck do I get out of here? I knew he would come back. I’m even more scared since he killed Murray and those other people. Shit. I really should’ve been smarter. Why did this have to happen?’ She looked around for a phone. ‘Of fucking course there’s no phone in here. Arthur isn’t stupid. He knows I would try to contact the police, so he wouldn’t let me be near a phone.’ Ashe didn’t have much time to think. She heard the door open.

She turned around and saw Arthur. ‘Fuck! Doesn’t he know I don’t like clowns? I can’t...’ She was doing the best she could to maintain her composure. “You were out for awhile.” He sauntered over to her. Her eyes went wide and she froze. ‘Shit. He’s coming over here!’ “Aren’t you happy to see me?” It was as if she was fully paralyzed. She couldn’t say or do anything. ‘Fuck! Why won’t by body listen to me? Come on! Let me move! Let me do something!’ He sat next to her, and she thought she was going to fall over from the sudden rush of dizziness. She had never seen him carry himself with confidence before. He reached over and pulled her closer to him. She let out a whimper that was barely audible. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing slowly. She calmed down a little. “Wh...what...what is this place? How did I get here? I don’t know...don’t remember.” She croaked out. “When you first woke up, you were out of it, so I let you sleep. You don’t remember? Maybe I gave you too much...never mind. You’re in a warehouse, more like an old shelter. People used to live here I think. Anyway you wanna know how you got here and what happened.” Ashe nodded.

Arthur sighed. He knew this wouldn’t be easy for her. “I needed to get you back. I followed you everywhere once I found you. I was afraid something would happen, so I wanted to be close by. I was leaving your apartment when you were going back there. I followed you to your work the next day. I saw you in the basement. I couldn’t approach you because your boss showed up. I went back to your apartment and hid in your closet. I waited for you to fall asleep. It wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did. I wanted to just bring you here. I couldn’t help myself. You opened your eyes, and...and I panicked. I had no choice. I drugged you and brought you here. You shouldn’t have woken up. Why did you wake up?” Ashe was terrified and crying. “Oh, babydoll. Why are you so sad? Shhhh. Shhhhh. Don’t cry. Everything is okay. I’ll look after you, I promise. Please don’t hate me. I don’t want you to think of me as a bad person. I...I love you.” He cooed. ‘If I want out of this, I’ll have to play along.’ “H...hey, Arthur?” “Yeah?” “Can I have something to eat? I’m hungry. I need a shower too.” “It’s down the hall to he left. You can eat when you’re done.” Ashe nodded and Arthur got up and left so she could have privacy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, feedback is appreciated :)


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I’m back. I’m sorry it’s been so long since I updated for this story. Things have been, well, not so good. And I haven’t been feeling the greatest lately mental health wise. But I’m back. Hopefully this chapter turns out okay.

Ashe got off the bed and looked around the room. There was furniture and a closet. She found her clothes in the closet, and underwear in one of the dresser drawers. She grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt. ‘This place doesn’t look too shabby for a criminal hideout. It looks like a regular warehouse on the outside, but it’s more like a shelter. It’s a little nicer than Arthur’s apartment. At least he didn’t lock me in a cage, so I guess I could be grateful for that. Still, I’ve got to get out of here. Arthur is more unstable than he was before. If I’m not careful, he might do something to hurt me. He says he wouldn’t, but he might not be able to keep that promise. He hasn’t hurt me. Yet. That’s the important thing.’ She walked down the hallway to the bathroom. It was decent enough. She saw one of her toothbrushes in the holder on the sink. Arthur had stolen it from her apartment like she thought. She didn’t think about it too much. She brushed her teeth, and took her shower.

Arthur was in the kitchen looking for something to make for Ashe. He found some bow tie pasta and Parmesan cheese. He decided to make some with cheese on top. He had cooked all the time for Penny, so this was nothing new for him. Even if the stove and other appliances were different from the ones in his apartment. It was easy enough to figure out. He hated that Ashe was so upset. He understood, but everything he has done has been for her. He wanted to comfort her so badly. She is the only good thing in his life. He doesn’t want to ruin that. ‘Does she hate me? I hope not. I don’t want her to. She has been through so much, but I thought she would be happy. Does she not see that I love her? I can make her understand. She might not be okay right now, but she has no choice but to accept it, that she can’t go back. The cops will take her away, and take me back to Arkham. I can’t let that happen.’ He melted some of the cheese and put it on the pasta. He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Ashe come in the kitchen. 

She sat down. Arthur handed her a bowl with some of the pasta in it. She noticed he wasn’t having any. “Don’t you want some?” “No. I’m not hungry.” “Are you sure you don’t want any?” He wasn’t used to another person being considerate of him. It made him feel better. “No. You go ahead and eat.” Ashe took the first bite, and barely held back a groan. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate something so good. She couldn’t remember the last time she had a hot meal. She had been living off of peanut butter sandwiches for so long, this was the first time in awhile she had real food to eat. She ate every bite. Arthur knew judging by how she ate she wasn’t eating much. People in Gotham didn’t have much in terms of food in general, but he knew Ashe must’ve had barely any food. Maybe even less than the typical Gotham resident. It wrenched his heart to find out this way. She looked at him like she wanted more but was afraid to ask. She didn’t have to. Arthur took her bowl and gave her more.

Ashe took her time with the second bowl. “You haven’t been eating much, have you?” Ashe stopped for a minute and paused. She didn’t think anyone would notice. “No. I didn’t have much food. Most of the money I make from work goes to rent and utilities. By the time that’s paid, I don’t have much left for food.” Arthur could relate. He knew what it was like. “I mostly ate cereal and peanut butter sandwiches. That was it. I go hungry a lot, but I’m used to it.” Arthur was angry. Not at her, but at the way she had to live. “Well, angel, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. As long as I’m here, you’ll never go hungry.” Ashe began to wonder if things would be as bad as she thought. She had to admit it was nice to have a hot meal and a full stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure when the next chapter will be posted. Bare with me. I just hope this one didn’t suck. It’s not as intense as the others, but I wanted to mix things up. Let me know what you think :)


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in so long. I haven’t felt motivated to write because of everything that’s been going on. Things might get a little intense in this chapter. There are some sexual themes in this chapter, but I won’t spoil it. I hope you’re still enjoying the story, and you’re staying safe and healthy. Also, after all, this time, I realized I forgot to put a description for Ashe’s appearance. So if you want to know what she looks like, you can go back to the first chapter and read the brief description I added. Wow I’m such a dummy lol

Ashe was still having trouble processing everything. She knew her situation could be worse. She could’ve been stuck with someone who didn’t care about her and abused her, but Arthur never hit her. He really did seem to care about her from the way he had been treating her. He made sure she was fed. She was able to maintain her personal hygiene, and she had a bed to sleep in. ‘Arthur does seem to have feelings for me, and I believe he’s being genuine when he says he wants to take care of me. But I don’t want to be here. I have family and friends who have no idea where I am. I have a life I need to get back to. I feel really bad for him, I really do. I want to believe if this city gave a shit about people like him, and gave a shit about the poor in general, he would’ve gotten the help he desperately needs, and he wouldn’t hurt anyone. But he’s dangerous. He’s hurt people, killed people. They may not have been the best of humanity, but it’s not up to Arthur to decide which of those people deserve to die. If I’m gonna get out of here, I have to be careful. I need to survive.’ Arthur was still there with her. It was very quiet, uncomfortably quiet, so Ashe decided to break the silence. 

“Arthur, can I ask you something?” She asked it as if she was afraid. “What is it?” “Well, it’s about those people in the hospital. One of them was a therapist that worked at Arkham. The other was a student.” “So she isn’t dead.” Ashe was taken aback by Arthur’s sudden response. “N...no. But the police are still waiting for her to wake up so they can find out who was responsible for attacking her. They’re waiting for the boy to wake up, too.” Arthur laughed as he took a drag from his cigarette. “It was you who attacked them, wasn’t it?” Arthur didn’t say anything. He still had that smirk of satisfaction on his face. The cigarette was still in his mouth. “Why?” He didn’t answer her. He had that dark and dangerous look in his eyes again as he was staring off into space. It was the look that made her fear for her safety. It was like he was a different person, not at all the same man he was most of the time. This was the dark side of him that made her afraid. She didn’t like that side of him. How could he seem so sweet and caring one minute, and dangerous and unsettling the next? It was so strange. It was like something inside him had taken over. She tried to ask him again. “Arthur, please. I just want to know.” Still no answer. “Arthur, what’s going on with you? Say something.” “The psychiatrist would’ve gotten in my way, and that boy stole money from a kid. That’s why.” He stood up and sauntered over to her. “Arthur...” she was afraid and backing away from him. “Say it again.” “What? I don’t understand.” “My name. Say my name again.” “Arthur, what-“ Without warning, he forcefully kissed her. Ashe froze. She had no idea what to say or do. When he pulled away, she was still shocked, trying to comprehend what just happened. “Don’t worry so much. Everything is fine.” He walked away as if nothing happened.

That night, Ashe went to bed before Arthur did. He thought about what he did. ‘What have I done? Why did I kiss her like that? I don’t know what came over me. What if she’s afraid of me now? I hope I didn’t hurt her. I don’t think I did. She’ll trust me. She just needs time.’ He saw her sleeping in the bed. He was nervous. He gently brushed the hair from her face. He climbed in bed on the opposite side and pulled her close to him. It was nice. To have someone close to him like that. He smelled the shampoo she used and it smelled heavenly. He placed his lips on the back of her neck, barely kissing it. He pulled away and just laid there next to her. He thought about when he finally got her to see that he loves her what being intimate with her would be like. The first time, she would be nervous, he didn’t doubt it. He chuckled as he remembered the first time he had sex. He was the shy and bashful one in that situation. He never thought he would feel confident, but he did. It was ironic. He didn’t know if Ashe was a virgin, but he knew from how soft spoken she was, and how afraid she was when he had to bathe her when she got sick, and how she tensed up whenever he touched her that she was probably afraid to express pleasure or be vocal during sex because of the vulnerability and intimacy involved in it. Arthur understood that better than most of the people he knew. He thought about what Dr. Sally said about how society makes people afraid and ashamed of sex. How it makes them afraid to express themselves and ashamed of having sexual desires. That men and women are taught to hate their bodies because they don’t meet the social standards of beauty and think their partners will find them ugly. She said that almost no one meets those expectations, and if the people involved care about each other, they love each other for who they are, not their bodies. She helped him realize that sex was nothing to be afraid or ashamed of, that having sexual desires are human, and doesn’t make people bad people. Arthur wanted to help Ashe the way Doctor Sally helped him. He thought about how shy she would be, how she would turn a deep shade of red as he teased her body. He could hear her timid, high-pitched moans, her whimpers, and soft pleas in his head. He would whisper sweet nothings and encourage her. He loved her. He wanted nothing more than to make love to her. He wanted to make her feel good, to make her come undone as he physically expressed the love he had for her. He had had sex before and he enjoyed it. But he knew it would be different with Ashe. To him, sex was the most intimate thing two people could do with their bodies. It wasn’t just about satisfying his needs. He knew it would be even better with someone he loved. He smiled as he began to doze off and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t written anything explicit with sexual themes before, but hopefully it turned out okay. Let me know what you think. Your feedback is always appreciated :)


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Back at it again. 151 kudos, that’s amazing! Thank you all so much! This chapter might not be as intense or exciting. I wanted to focus on Sid and Barry’s background. I wanted to go into a bit more detail about it. A lot of times the Joker’s men are just jerks or criminals. I wanted to do something a little different and give them a little more background. And yes, if you’re curious, I decided to make the guys who help Arthur/Joker out of the police car at the end of the movie brothers. I also like to think they helped him break out of Arkham, too. So I put that idea in my story. I thought it would be interesting. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter.

Ashe only had a few hours of sleep. She woke up feeling groggy, but couldn’t go back to sleep. The way Arthur had acted toward her, the way he had forcefully kissed her without her permission made her anxious. She was tossing and turning throughout the night. Arthur was asleep on the other side of the bed. He was sleeping like a baby. Seeing him that way almost made it hard to believe she was being held captive by an extremely unstable man. She got up and took a shower. She was quick about it. She was afraid Arthur would come in. ‘I just can’t get it out of my head. Did I say something that made him act on impulse? I’ve seen that dark look in his eyes before, but it was when he was upset about something. This was different. He was smiling. I mentioned those people he hurt, and he was chuckling about it. It was like he enjoyed hurting them, reliving the moment. His demeanor was so different. It really was like he was a completely different person. Could that be his “Joker” persona? Maybe it’s a darker, more aggressive part of him. In a fucked up way it reminds me of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. One minute he’s sweet and caring. He has a fucked up way of going about it, but he wants to keep people he cares about safe. I don’t think he wants or means to hurt them, or anyone else. But then there’s that dark part of him. It was pure ID. He was acting on his impulses, doing what he wanted. It was so unlike Arthur. I’ve never seen him so confident. There was this arrogance and smugness to him. And the way he kissed me...I’ve been kissed many times. It wasn’t a kiss of love or romance. He didn’t kiss me like any of the boyfriends I’ve had. None of my boyfriends were ever forceful like that. That kiss wasn’t love. It was demanding, full of lust. He was demanding that kiss. And I just let him do it. I should’ve done something, but I was afraid. It all happened so fast. He didn’t ask if I was okay. That’s the side of him I’m afraid of. What if it comes out again? What am I supposed to do then?’ She didn’t want to think about it. She dressed herself in a red long sleeved sailor shirt, a pair of jeans, and she tied her hair into a ponytail with a red ribbon. She couldn’t find the pants she usually wore with that shirt, so jeans would have to do. She quietly left the room, careful not to wake Arthur and went to the kitchen.

When Ashe went into kitchen, she saw Sid and Barry eating cereal. She grabbed a bowl from one of the cupboards and was about to pour herself some cereal when she noticed they were watching her. “I...I was just gonna have some cereal. Then I’ll leave you alone.” She poured herself a bowl, and took a seat at the table. The larger man, Barry, got up and she cringed. She was expecting him to shove her and yell at her to get lost. Instead, he came back with a milk carton. “You forgot this.” “Oh. Th...thanks.” Barry nodded. “You don’t have to be afraid of us, you know. We won’t hurt you.” “But you...” “Helped the infamous Joker. But we have our reasons. Why are you so nervous around us?” “It’s not you. It’s just...I’m scared because you look like some of those creeps I’d see wandering the city late at night.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “N...nothing. I just meant you’re bigger than me. The guys I would see at night were big. Women sometimes got hurt by guys like that. A girl like me would be a perfect target. You remind me of them.” “Well, you don’t need to worry ‘cause we aren’t them.” “Relax, Barry. She didn’t mean to offend us.” Sid said. “I know. I just get tired of people assuming a big, burly guy like me would be mean and violent. I’m not. I only get like that if I need to.” “I’m sorry if I-“ “Don’t worry about it.” Barry said. 

Ashe broke the silence. “Can I ask you guys something?” “Go for it.” “Why are you helping Arthur?” “Arthur, huh? So that’s his real name? I wouldn’t have expected a guy like that to have such a common name. He’d probably shoot us dead in the face if we called him that. You’re a lucky girl.” “Sid, don’t say that in front of her.” “Sorry. Anyway, we’re not just bad guys. We were actually just everyday citizens once. We never had much money. Our mom worked as a cleaning lady. We would help out at some if the local shelters. They looked a lot like this one. A lot of different people would come to them. Some of them were people recently evicted from their apartments because rent kept going up in the city. Especially in the poor areas. Others were people leaving abusive relationships. Shelters at least gave them food, a bed to sleep in, and a way to maintain their personal hygiene. We cooked meals for them. We liked what we were doing. Then mom got sick. We had to take on extra hours. We didn’t qualify for state care because we weren’t poor enough. We did what we could, but she didn’t make it. Then the social services got cut and we lost our jobs and eventually our apartment. We had nowhere to go. Luckily on the night of the riots, that’s when we found the boss. We help him out, and in exchange we get money and a roof over our heads. It’s a dangerous job, but we gotta do what we can to survive. All we have is each other now.” “I’m sorry about your mom.” “Thanks.” Ashe felt bad for them. She understood where they were coming from, but it didn’t excuse their actions. She was glad they weren’t complete assholes. She decided to get up and have a look around the place. Maybe she would find a phone or something to help her get out of there.

Arthur woke up. He wiped the sleep from his eyes. He didn’t see Ashe, so he knew she was up already. He got up and took a shower. He got dressed and put on his makeup. As he made his way down the hall, he heard the boys talking. He couldn’t make out what they were saying. He didn’t concern himself with it. He walked passed the kitchen. He walked passed some of the rooms, and found Ashe looking around in one of them. “What are you doing in here, doll?” Ashe felt her heart pound. She was afraid she got herself in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sid is more open and trusting than Barry. He’s naive, which doesn’t always work out to be a good thing. But he feels like he can trust Ashe, and that’s why he’s open with her. Let me know what you think. I appreciate feedback :)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Here’s another chapter. This one isn’t gonna be very long. I know I haven’t been updating as often as I should be, but things have been hectic. I’m so grateful for all the comments and kudos. It means a lot, so thank you all so much. I want to clarify a few things. This is not a Stockholm Syndrome type of story. Ashe is not falling in love with Arthur. She feels sorry for him, but she wants to get out. She’s trying to find a way out. She knows Arthur is unstable and she doesn’t want to upset him. This chapter starts after her conversation with Sid and Barry.

When Ashe finished her conversation with Sid and Barry, she took the opportunity to look around for a phone or a hidden exit. Maybe there was a fire escape somewhere in one of the rooms. She had to be careful. Under normal circumstances, she was relatively confident she could trust the boys. Even though they were considered Joker’s goons to everyone else, she talked with them. She knew people doing bad things wasn’t always a matter of black and white. She knew they were just trying to survive, and she couldn’t blame them. They lost everything they had. They had nowhere to go, no one to turn to for help. By helping Arthur, they were being given everything they needed. She felt bad for them. They weren’t bad people, but by helping Arthur escape from Arkham and kidnap her, as well as possibly being indirectly involved in those brutal assaults, she knew it was very likely they would be serving jail time. She also knew if they caught her trying to escape, they would tell Arthur and she would be in trouble.

‘Okay. If I can just have some time to check some of these rooms and see if I can find a phone to call the police. Then I can get out of here. Either that or if there’s a fire escape hidden somewhere. I can sneak out while everyone is asleep. But then, even if I did, how would Arthur react? Right. Don’t make yourself anxious just yet, Ashe. You don’t know what’s gonna happen. I need to start looking around first and go from there. I might as well start now while Arthur is asleep.’ She went into the first room. It was furnished similar to the room her and Arthur slept in. Unfortunately there was no phone or fire escape. She went to the next room and didn’t find anything useful in that room either. ‘Damn it! How am I supposed to look in all these rooms without getting caught? Fine. I’ll check every single one of these rooms if I have to.’ She went into the next room. She finally found a phone. For her that was good news and if there was a phone, maybe there was a fire escape somewhere hidden in the building. Unfortunately her excitement was short lived. When she was about to use the phone, she heard Arthur. “What are you doing in here, doll?” Ashe froze. 

She was terrified she had gotten herself into trouble. She needed to think fast. “I...was looking for something.” She backed away from him. “I can’t find one of my ribbons.” “You mean this one?” It was dark blue. “Yeah. Where did you find it?” “It was in the bathroom.” “Well, then. I don’t need to be in here anymore.” “You should be more careful. It’s easy to get lost in a place like this.” Ashe nodded. ‘That was close! I thought I was in trouble for sure. I’m just glad “Joker” didn’t come out in that moment. That guy is way more dangerous than Arthur.’ She didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened if he caught her calling the police.

That night, before Ashe and Arthur went to bed, they saw the news. The woman from Arkham and the boy had woken up from their comas, and told police about what happened. The woman said Arthur had a much darker demeanor than he usually did. It was like he was a different person. The police had said she stressed how different he was, that the change in personality made no sense. The young man said Joker had beaten him brutally with a crowbar. The police said he was terrified and could barely talk about what happened. They said he was sobbing apologies about the little boy and promised he wouldn’t steal anymore. Ashe immediately became uncomfortable when she heard Arthur chuckling. He once again had that dark look in his eyes. “I’m gonna go to bed.” “Come here for a minute.” Ashe sat back down, and Arthur scooped her into his lap, and pulled her to his chest. She was too scared to look at him. There was a long silence. “Arthur?” “Yes?” “Are you feeling okay?” “Yeah. I feel great.” “Arthur?” “Yeah?” “Do you think we’re all safe?” “Sure. Why wouldn’t we be safe? You know what happens to awful people.” Ashe desperately wanted to get up, but was too scared to move. She swallowed hard. “Arthur?” “What?” “You promise you won’t hurt me?” “What makes you think I would hurt you? I love you more than anything. I would never hurt you. Ever.” The look in his eyes was even darker than before, and something about him was so sinister, like a ferocious wolf laying in wait. “Okay, Arthur.” She didn’t sleep at all that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also a quick note about Ashe’s sailor shirt. A lot of times, when people think of sailor shirts, they think of the sexy schoolgirl costume. It’s not at all from a costume. Sometimes in the 60’s and 70’s women wore them with skirts or a pair of nice pants. It’s just a normal sailor shirt. Here’s a link to a picture of one for reference.  
> https://www.rustyzipper.com/shop.cfm?viewpartnum=224868
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter let me know what you think:)

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think :) Hopefully I can get part 2 squared away, and have it up soon! What do you think?


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